Library of the
University of North Carolina

Endowed by the Dialectic and Philan-
thropic Societies.

(b ^v Zz

rr\

C op 3

FOR USE ONLY IN
THE NORTH CAROLINA COLLECTION

jg|ffl}^_ae§__g^ MiL^ii^

Form No. A-368, Rev. 8/95

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MEMORIAL ADDRESSES

LIFE AND CHARACTER

ZEBULON BAIRD VANCE

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SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,

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1S95.

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CONTENTS.

Page.

Proceedings in the Senate

Memorial address by — ,

Mr. Bate - ■ '" g

Mr. Blackburn ,

Mr. Call

Mr. Chandler ,

Mr. Drnois ~" ^^

Mr. George

Mr. Gk.\y ^g

Mr. Jarvis ^^

Mr. Morrill ;^^

Mr. Ransom "' ~

Mr. Sherm.\n

89
Proceedings in the House ■--

Memorial address by— ^

Mr. Alexander

129
Mr. Bland ,

Mr. Bower. _ ^^

Mr. Br.vnch

144
Mr.BRVAN

Mr.BuNN ^^^

Mr. Carcth jg,

Mr. Crawford

120
Mr. Daniels ,

Mr. Henderson of Iowa

Mr. Henderson of North Carolina 94

Mr. Hooker of Mississippi --

Mr. McMlLLlN

Mr. Springer _ ,

Mr. Sw.\NSoN _ -•

Mr. W.\rner _

Mr. Wheeler of Alabama ^----.

Mr, Woodard

3

134
136
150

126
172

Death of Senator Vance.

Proceedings in the Senate,

April i6, 1894.

Tlie Chaplain, Rev. W. H. Milburn, D. D., made the
following prayer:

O Eternal God, with bowed hearts we come to the foot
of Thy throne. While the fnneral knell sounds through
the Capitol announcing the death of another Senator,
while North Carolina mourns the departure from earth of
a beloved and honored son, and the nation feels the loss,
we bless Thee for his large native powers schooled in the
wide experience of public affairs, and for his genial humor,
enriching and illumining all subjects he touched, making
him kindly with his kind, by virtue fif which he shed the
influence of a wise and beneficent counsel and character
upoi), his native State and, by virtue of his place in this
Chamber, upon the land at large.

Grant to the widow and children under this sore bereave-
ment the onh- comfort which can come to human hearts at
such a time— unshaken faith in Thy holy Gospel and the
consolation and sympathy of Thy beloved Son. As the
earthly part of one of our brothers has ended upon the

5

6 Proceedi}tgs in tJic Senate.

border of the invisible world, grant that we hear from Thy
lips, "Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord: yea,
saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors."
We humbly pra\-, through Jesus Christ, our Saviour.
Amen.

ANNOUNCEMEXT OF DEATH.

Mr. Ransom. Mr. President, it is my melancholy duty
to announce to the Senate the death of Hon. Zebulon
Baird Vance, late a Senator from North Carolina. He
died on Saturday night last at forty-five minutes past
lo o'clock, at his residence on Massachusetts avenue, in
this city. Though his long-continued and serious illness
ought to have prepared all of us for the sad event, still,
beguiled by his own cheerful and hopeful spirit, none of us
had dreamed that the white horses were coming so rapidly
to his door.

His death shocks us to the depths of our hearts. It is
a calamity, a sorrow, a deep public and personal bereave-
ment. A great man has fallen in our midst; a great
patriot, a great statesman, a great thinker, a great actor has
passed away from our sight for this life.

He died at his post of duty with his complete armor on,
with his face to the front, courageous, liopeful, useful to the
last. Sufferings did not break his proud spirit, nor dim his
noble intellect, nor shake his fearless fortitude. Full of
years, but still in the strength of his eminent faculties,
crowned with exalted honors, but still animated with yet
higher aspirations and promise of doing good, pliysically
wrecked and overcome witli incurable malady, he stood
firmly in tlie line of his comrades and at the last moment

Proceedings in the Sciia/e. 7

sereneh- gathered his robes around him and stepped with
the dignity of a Senator and the faith of a Christian from
earth into eternity. It looks as if by some prophetic intui-
tion he had returned from the spring flowers and the genial
skies of Florida to lay down his sword and shield on the
very altars of his country.

This is not the time for the analysis of his character;
for eulogies of his virtues; for the history of his illustrious
services. On some fitting day I shall ask the Senate to do
justice to his honored memory.

But, sir, I should commit a very great wrong not to say
now with what unspeakable pain and infinite grief the
death of Senator Vance smites the people of North Caro-
lina. For more than forty years, in peace and in war, he
has been the most beloved and the most honored son of
that great State. From the ever flowing ocean, across the
hills and plains and valleys to the majestic mountain tops,
he was a familiar and most dear object to the hearts and
homes of all our people. Language can not describe the
admiration and love and gratitude of those of all a^es of
both sexes; of every class, condition, and race; of the
whole people of North Carolina, for this great and. good
man, tlieir benefactor and bulwark in prosperity and adver-
sity. Standing by his lifeless form to-day, it is my sacred
duty, representing a Commonwealth of nearly 2,000,000
souls, to shed upon his mortal ashes the tears of their affec-
tion and deepest sorrow.

He seemed, sir, as if by destin\- to hold in his hands tlie
hearts of the people, and at tliis moment the throbbing
breasts of thousands are following his silent march to the
tomb. If he had faults they were bold, brave, open faults,

8 Proceedings in the Senate.

which are forever eclipsed and forgotten in the splendor
of a great and glorious life, and in the niagnaniniit\- of a
noble nature.

As I think of the short interval at which he follows the
beloved Georgian from the folding doors of this Chamber
to their last rest it looks as if two tall oaks which stood
over and shaded our hearthstones had fallen in the early
evening, after the storm and heat of the day had passed,
and before the shades of night and winter had fallen upon
their airtumnal leaves. Colquitt and Vance had done
their duty to their country and their fellow-men.

But I must not trust myself further. At the hour of 9
to-night the committees of the two Houses of Congress, the
entire delegation of the State of North Carolina, and the
special committee from the State, with the sad family and
friends, will leave the capital of the Star Spangled Repub-
lic and bear the remains of Go\-ernor Vaxce through the
sister State of \'irginia to the beautiful capital of North
Carolina, and thence take them to his burying ground on
the mountain side overlooking the blue torrents of the
French Broad and in sight of lovely Asheville, and there
leave them in the shade of the evergreens and in the mir-
ror and melody of flowing waters to sleej) with his patri-
otic fathers. And as the clouds at evening hang upon the
bo.som and eternal towers of Black ^Mountain, so will a
shadow of sorrow rest upon the bosom of all his ]5cople.
But the light of his life with the early rays of morning
will dispel the gloom from the mountains and from their
hearts.

And now I can onh- venture, in the name of the stricken
Senate, with gentlest sympathy to send to the noble and

Proceedings in iJw Senate. 9

devoted woman who for inontlis, by day and niylit, witli
unwearied vio-ilance, has stood bv him like an aneel of
light and love our heartfelt condolence and tenderness, and
to hold up to his brave sons the ever living beacon of their
father's life. He expired solaced in the arms and affec-
tions of his wife and children. And may our Almighty
Father, in His supreme and infinite goodness, bestow upon
them His strength and comfort.

Mr. President, I beg leave to ask consideration bv the
Senate of the resolutions which I send to the desk.

The Vice-Presidext. The resolutions will be read.

The Secretary read the resolutions, as follows:

Resolved, That the Senate has heard with great sorrow of the deatli of the
Hon. Zebulon B. Vance, late a Senator from the State of North CaroHna.

Resolved, That a committee of nine Senators be appointed by the Vice-Presi-
dent to take order for superintending the funeral of Mr. Vance, which will take
place to-day in the Senate Chamber, at 4 o'clock p. m., and that the Senate will
attend the same.

Resolved, That as a furtlier mark of respect entertained by tlie Senate for his
memory, his remains be removed from Washington to North Carolina in charge
of the Sergeanl-at-Arms, and attended by the committee, who shall have full
power to carry this resolution into efifect.

Resolved, That the Secretary communicate these proceedings to the House of
Representatives and invite the House of Representatives to attend the funeral
to-day, Monday, at 4 o'clock p. m., and to appoint a committee to act with the
committee of the Senate.

The Vice-President. The question is on agreeing to
the resolutions.

The resolutions were unanimously agreed to.

The Vice-President appointed as the select committee
under the second resolution Mr. Ransom, Mr. George,
Mr. Gray, Mr. Blackburn, Islr. Coke, Mr. Chandler, jlr.
Dubois, Mr. White, and Mr. Manderson.

He also announced as the honorary pallbearers Air. "Slor-
rill, Mr. Sherman, Mr. Harris, and Mr. McPherson.

lo Proceedings in tlie Senate.

Mr. Ransom. Mr. President, I beg leave to offer the
resolution which I send to the desk, and ask for its imme-
diate consideration.

The resolution was considered by nnanimous consent,
and unanimously agreed to; as follows:

Resolved, That invitations be extended to the President of the United States
and the members of his Cabinet, the Chief Justice and the associate justices of
the Supreme Court of the United States, the diplomatic corps, the Major-Gen-
eral Commanding the Army, and the senior admiral of the Navy to attend the
funer.il of the Hon. Zebulon Baird V.\nce, late a Senator from the State of
North Carolina, in the Senate Chamber to-day, Monday, at 4 o'clock p. ni.

Mr. Jones of Arkansas, from the Committee to Audit
and Control the Contingent Expenses of the Senate,
reported the following resolution; and it was considered
by unanimous consent, and agreed to:

Resolved, That the expenses incurred by the select committee appointed to
take order for the funeral of the late Senator Z. B. Vance be paid from the
contingent fund of the Senate.

A message from the Hou.se of Representatives, by Mr.
T. O. Towles, its Chief Clerk, announced that the House
had passed the following resolutions:

Resolved, That the House has heard with profound sorrow the announcement
of the death of Hon. Zkhi'lon Bairu Vance, late a Senator from the State of
North Carolina.

Resolved, That the Speaker of the House ajjpoint a committee of nine mem-
bers to act in conjunction with the committee appointed by the .Senate to make
the necessary arrangements and to accompany the remains to the place of burial.

Resolved, That the House accept the invitation of the Senate to attend tlie
funeral this afternoon at 4 o'clock.

Resolved, That a recess be now taken until 3.45 p. m., at whicli hour the
House will proceed in a body to the .Senate Chamber to attend the funeral, and
at the conclusion thereof, on return to its Chamber, the Speaker, as a further
mark of respect to the memory of the deceased, shall declare the House
adjourned.

Resolved, That the Clerk of the House notify llie Senate of the action of the
House.

Proceedings in the Scnalc. ii

The messao^e also auuounced that the Speaker of the
House had appointed Mr. Henderson of North Carolina,
Mr. Black of Illinois, Mr. Alexander, Mr. Brookshire, Mr.
Crawford, Mr. Daniels, Mr. Strong, Mr. Blair, and Mr.
Honk as the committee to act in conjunction with the
Senate committee to make the necessary arrangements
and accompany the remains of the deceased Senator to the
place of burial.

At 3 o'clock and 53 minutes p. m. the members of the
House of Representatives, preceded by the Sergeant-at-
Arms and Clerk, and headed by the Speaker, entered the
Senate Chamber. The Speaker was escorted to a seat at
the right of the Vice-President, the Clerk at the Secre-
tary's desk, and the Sergeant-at-Arms on the right of the
Vice-President's desk, while the members of the House
were escorted to seats on the floor which had been pro-
vided for them.

They were soon followed by the Chief Justice and asso-
ciate justices of the Supreme Court of the United States,
the diplomatic corps, and the President and his Cabinet
ministers, who were respectively escorted to the seats as-
signed them on the floor of the Senate Chamber.

The casket containing the remains of the deceased Sen-
ator was brought into the Senate Chamber, preceded by
Rev. W. H. Milburn, D. D., the Chaplain of the Senate,
and Rev. Moses D. Hoge, D. D., of Richmond, Va., and
escorted by the Sergeant-at-Arms of the Senate, the com-
mittees of arrangements of the two Houses, the honor-
ary pallbearers of the Senate and House, and pallbearers
selected from the Capitol police, and followed by the mem-
bers of the family and friends of the deceased.

12 Proceedings in the Senate.

Rev. ]\Ioses D. Hoge, D. D. , offered the following pra\er:

O God, most high, most holy, most merciful, with
lowly reverence of spirit and hearts subdued by the hal-
lowed memories of the departed, and by the tender offices
of the hour, we invoke Thy gracious presence, help, and
benediction.

Hear our prayer, O Lord; give ear unto our cr\-; hold
not Thy peace at our tears, for we are strangers with Thee
and sojourners as all our fathers were.

Father of Mercies, ever assuring Thy chastened children
of Thine unchanging love, be very near to us now in this
the hour of our sorrow, as we come to cast our care upon
Thee and to seek the strength and consolation Thou onh-
canst impart.

As a father pities his children, so do Thou pity us; as
one whom his mother comforteth, so do Thou comfort
us, and so sanctify our deepest distress that, being made
partakers of Thy holiness, we may be prepared for ever-
lasting blessedness in the world where, after the separa-
tions of time, we may find our true home; where all who
have departed in Christ await our coming, beyond the
reach of sorrow and tears, in the realm of eternal light
and gladness.

Hear us, we beseech Thee, for the sake of Thy well-
beloved Sou, to whom, with Thee, O Father, and the Holy
Spirit, we will give honor and glor}' forever. Amen I

After reading the ninetieth Psalm and the fifteenth
chapter of First Corinthians, Rev. Dr. Hoge delivered the
following address:

Tlie shadow of a great sorrow has fallen on this Cham-
ber. The bloom and fragrance of spring, the sun sliining

Proceedings in the Senate. 13

bright and clear, bring no delight to our eyes, no cheer to
our hearts. What are all the aspects of this vernal season,
what even the great subjects that absorb and agitate us
in daily life, at this moment, when we see around us the
badges of mourning, the tears of the bereaved, and when
we look upon that bier and remember who lies upon it?

In the discharge of the mournful office assigned to me, it
is not my province to awaken those tender regrets which
the recital of the personal virtues and public services of
your late associate must ever excite. This grateful duty
will be performed by those who are best qualified for it by
long acquaintance and intimate association.

These tributes to his memory when completed will not
only form a permanent part of his personal histor}-, but an
addition to the history of the State he represented and
served so well. Nor can I speak of that genial spirit —
oftentimes jubilant — which made him such a favorite with
the people, nor of other attractive qualities of mind and
heart which converted acquaintances into friends, and
which now, to be enjoyed no more, converts friends into
mourners.

The only theme on which it is becoming in me to dwell
takes us to a higher plane, and I could preface what I
wish to say by the declaration that the first requisite to
the highest and most symmetrical develop:nent of what is
noblest in man, be he soldier, sage, or Senator, is sincere,
consistent, heartfelt piet>-. There are indeed mere natural
virtues which command respect and admiraion, but after
all "a Christian is the highest style of man."

Piety toward God is the surest incentive to the full
discharge of all duties toward man, the truest and most

14 Proceedings in the Senate.

unfailing inspiration of honor, the strongest safeguard of
personal integrity, the most efficient aid in the pursuit and
attainment of \vhatsoe\-er things are just and true and
lovely and of good report. The man who ever lives as
under "the great Taskmaster's eye," who believes and
remembers that God is now the witness of his conduct and
to be his final judge, and who, in all his acts, personal and
official, strives to maintain a conscience void of offense, is
the man who above all others will be most fearless in meet-
ing every responsibility and most faithful in discharging
every trust. This is the spirit which elevates its possessor
above all that is ignoble, narrow, and selfish, because all
the ends he aims at will be those of "country, God, and
truth." How true this picture is of our lamented brother
and friend let your hearts attest.

And now, remembering on whom the bereavement falls
with heaviest weight, what can we do but take her in the
arms of our faith, sympathy, and Christian affection, and
commit her to the care and love of our Father in Hea\en —
to the protection and sustaining grace of our Elder Brother,
whose hand alone is soft enough to wipe away the tears of
bereavement and tender enough to l)ind up the l)leeding
heart. May God comfort His handmaiden, and all dear to
her, and be their strength, song, and salvation.

To-day the voice of Providence unites with the voice of
inspiration in admonishing us that all the glory of man is
as the flower of the grass.

We are told that Massillon, about to deliver one of his
wonderful funeral orations, found himself in a church sur-
rounded with all the pomp and pageantry of the court.
The church was not only hung with black drapery, but the

Proceedings in the Senate. 15

light of day was excluded, and only a few dim tapers
burned on the altar.

The beauty and chivalry of the land were there. The
King was clothed in sackcloth and bowed with grief.
There was silence, a solemn hush pervading the assembly.
MassillcJli arose. His hands were folded on liis breast;
his eyes were lifted toward Heaven. He stood mute and
abstracted. Presently his fixed look was unbent; his eye
roved over the scene where every pomp was displayed,
where every emblem of rank and power was exhibited.
The eye could find no resting place amidst all this parade
and histrionic mourning. At length it settled on the bier
on which lay dead royalty, covered with a pall. A sense
of the indescribable nothingness of man at his best estate
overcame tlie preacher, until in a scarce audible voice he
startled the deep silence with the words: "There is noth-
ing great but God ! ' '

To-day this Senate Chamber, by a solemn dispensation,
is converted into a "lodge of sorrow," and here in an
audience containing those who occupy the highest posts
of influence and power in this land all temporal distinc-
tions for the moment seem to be forgotten, as well as all the
questions of absorbing interest which agitate the public
mind, and in the presence of the dead — in the presence of
the Great Judge of quick and dead — one pathetic utterance
alone arrests our attention: " ]Man that is born of a woman
is of few days, and full of trouble. He cometh forth like a
flower, and is cut down: he fleeth also as a shadow, and
continueth not." Once more are we warned that pallid
death, with impartial hand, knocks at all doors; he enters
with equal freedom the homes of the humble and tlie gates

1 6 Procccr/iiigs in I lie Senate.

of tlie Capitol; he casts his chilling shadow over the lowh"
hovel and the halls of national legislation; he strips off the
rags of the pauper and the robes of the Senator; and so,
to-day, pride, ambition, vainglor)-, and the strifes and ani-
mosities of the hour, veil their faces, and eternal things
alone seem worthy of supreme regard. Once more we hear
the voice coming out of the bygone century: "'There is
nothing great but God!"

If by the mournful pro\idence which has summoned us
here we are taught more impressively than ever the evanes-
cence of all earthly good; if we are possessed afresh with
the conviction that "he builds too low who builds beneath
the skies;" if we are led to the cross, where the defenseless
find shelter and the guilty find pardon; if through the grace
which fortifies the soul against the dread of death we gain
preparation for the duties of life; if we address ourselves
with new resolution to the discharge of those duties with
minds chastened and hearts purified by affliction, then this
sad providence will have accomplished its salutary purpose.

The heart that so lately throbbed with patriotic ardor
is still. The lips that so lately moved in pra\er iux God's
blessing on countrx', church, and home are mute; but be
it ours to keep alive the sacred flame and to prolong the
prayer that Heaven's best benediction may rest on this
confederated empire of imperial States; on its Chief Magis-
trate and all associated with him in the responsibilities of
office; upon the houses of State and national legislation;
upon all our citizens in their homes; upon all the people
of this great land from North to South and from East
to West, that all may learn more and more to cherish the
relations wiiich unite them as children of one Father and

Proceedi)igs in the Senate. 17

as citizens of one conntry; that freedom fonnded on justice
and guarded by constitutional law, witli religion pure and
undefiled permeating all, may secure to us a perpetual her-
itage of harmony, prosperity, and peace; and to God, most
high, will we ascribe, as is most due, all honor and glory
evermore. Amen.

And now, as tlie closing exercise in this service, I will
read the following h\-mn :

THY WILL BE DONE.

My God and Father, while I stray
Far from my liome, on life's rough way,
O teach me from my heart to say,
Thy will be done !

Let Init my fainting heart be blest
With Thy sweet .Spirit for its guest.
My Liod, to Thee I leave the rest;
Thy will be done!

Renew my will from day to day;
Blend it with Thine; and take away
All that now makes it hard to say.
Thy will be done !

- Then, when on earth I breathe no more.
The prayer, oft mixed with tears before,
I'll sing upon a happier shore.
Thy will be done I

The benediction was pronounced by the Chaplain of the
Senate.

The Vice-President. The committee of arrangements,
conducted b}- the Sergeant-at-Arms of the Senate, will es-
cort the remains of the deceased Senator from the Cham-
ber to the depot of the Richmond and Danville Railroad,
and from thence to the place of burial in the State of
North Carolina ; and after they have left the Chamber the
S Mis 151 2

1 8 Proceedings in the Senate.

guests of the Senate will depart in the reverse order of
their entrance.

The casket was borne from the Chamber, attended by the
Sergeant-at-Arms, the honorary pallbearers, the committee
of arrangements, and the family of the deceased Senator.

The invited guests having retired from the Chamber,

Mr. Ransom. Mr. President, as a further mark of respect
to the memory of my deceased colleague, I mo\e that the
Senate do now adjourn.

The motion was agreed to; and the Senate adjourned
until Tuesday, April 17, 1894, at 12 o'clock m.

MEMORIAL ADDRESSES.

January 19, 1895.
Air. Ransom. Mr. President, I ask leave to submit for
adoption the resolutions which I send to the desk.

The President pro tempore. The resolutions will be
read.

The Secretary read the resolutions, and they were con-
sidered bv unanimous consent, and unanimously agreed to;
as follows:

Resolved, That the Senate has heard with profound sorrow of the death of
Hon. Zebulon B. Vance, late a Senator from the State of North Carohna.

Resolved, That as a mark of respect to the memory of the deceased the busi-
ness of the Senate be now suspended to enalile his associates to pay proper
tribute to his high character and distinguished puljlic services.

Resolved, That the Secretary communicate these resolutions to the House of
Representatives.

19

20 Address of Mr. Raiisoui of Xortli Carolina.

ADDRESS OF Mr. Ransom.

Mr. President: The Senate is asked to render its last
duties of honor and sorrow to the memory of the Hon. Zeb-
ULON B.\iRD Vance, late a Senator from Xorth Carolina.

In this Chamber on the i6th of last April, two days
after his death, the Senate lighted its black torches around
the lifeless form of that most honored and beloved son of
our State, and his mortal figure, covered with the white
flowers of spring and love, and hallowed by the sacred
devotions of religion, passed amid tears like a shadow from
these portals forever. To-day his associates on this floor
are here to place on the ever-living annals of the Sen-
ate the record of their admiration and affection for his
virtues.

I take this summary from the Congressional Directory:

Zeisi'lun B. V.\nce, of Charlotte, was born in Buncombe County, N. C, May
13, 1830 ; was educated at Washington College, Tennessee, and at the University
of North Carolina; studied law; was admitted to the bar in January, 1852, and
was elected county attorney for Buncombe County the same year; was a mem-
ber of the State house of commons in 1-854 ; was a Representative from North
Carolina in the Thirty-tifth and Thirty-sixth Congresses; entered the Confederate
armv as captain in May, 1861, and was made colonel in .\ugust, 1861; was
elected governor of North Carolina in August, 1862, and reelected in August,
1S64; was elected to the United States Senate in November, 1870, but was
refu.^ed admission, and resigned in January, 1872; was elected governor of North
Carolina for the third lime in 1876; and in January, 1S78, was elected to the
United States Senate; was reelected in 1885, was again reelected in 1S91. and
died at his residence in Washington. April 14, 1894.

His paternal and maternal ancestors both were Revolu-
tionarv patriots. I have often passed the spot where he
was born. The "Vance homestead" was a large frame

Life and Chaiaclcr oj Zcbiiloii Baird Vance. 21

building of the "olden time," with broad stone chimneys,
indicative of comfort and hospitality. It stood near the
French Broad River and in the midst of the Blue Ridge
Mountains. Now the house has been taken down and
only a few stones remain to mark the site where it once
was. It is a place of beauty. In front of it the river is
smooth and placid as a lake; above and below it dashes
and roars into a mountain torrent, and you almost hear the
echoes of the ocean. Around it the great mountains tower
like giants, and their dark forests are mirrored in the deep
blue bosom of the stream. On this scene, amid sublimity
and beaut\-, \'an'CE first beheld the light of heaven. From
this beautiful river, from these sublime mountains, from
neighboring scenes, all bristling with heroic and patriotic
recollections, he received his first impressions. These were
the books from which he learned the lessons that were to
be the foundations of his illustrious career. He was the
son of the mountains, and I rareh' looked on him without
being reminded of them.

I know but little of his boyhood, but if the Senate will
pardon me I will speak of an incident that illustrates his
character. In the canvass of 1872 I was with Governor
V.AXCE in the mountain counties of our State. Passing
from Asheville over the mountain to Burnsville, we made
a short stop at the home of Nehemiah Blackstock, not
far from Ivy Creek. Squire Blackstock was nearly eighty
years of age and his good wife was but little younger. He
had been the surveyor of Buncombe County for more than
forty years. I shall never forget the meeting of Governor
Vaxce and that venerable couple. They fell on each
other's necks — they embraced and wept. They had not

22 Address of Mr. Raiisoin of Xorth Carolina.

met for years before. The conversation was short, not a
half honr long, and consisted mainly of reminiscences.
Vance, when a boy, had lived with the old people and
attended a country school close by. Mrs. Blackstock, beam-
ing with joy, asked him if he remembered the scenes of
his schoolboy days and vividly depicted his wild, way-
ward mischief, his frolics, his pranks, his plays with the
girls, his wrongs to the boys, his visits to the orchards,
his raids upon the watermelons, his practical jokes, his
offenses to the teacher, and many similar aberrations.

When old Mr. Blackstock, with a benignant smile, said,
"Well, you may say what you will about Zee; he was
a mighty bad boy and hard to control, but he had one
redeeming quality that made up for all his faults. Zrb
would tell the truth. When you missed your eggs that
you wanted so much for the preacher, and were so mad
that the}' were gone, and all the boys denied everything
about them, Zeb came up like a man and told that he took
them, but he would not tell who helped him eat them.
He would always tell the truth" — then I knew that from
his boyhood on truth had been Vance's star; and what a
star!

At the university Vance remained two years, and pur-
sued a selected course of studies, and soon made a name for
genius, wit, and oratory. He was an especial favorite of
President Swain, who for so man}' years had exerted a
powerful influence in elevating and directing the youth
of the South and made all of us who came under it better
citizens and better men. Young V.vnce was extremely
popular with the students and also with the people of the
village of Chapel Hill. Even then reports came from the

Life and Character of Zehulon Baird I 'aucc. 23

university of his brilliant wit, his striking originalit\-, and
his high promise.

He served one session in the State legislature, and there
gave unmistakable earnest of the illustrious life before
him.

He was elected to the House of Representatives in the
Thirty-fifth and Thirty-sixth Congresses and took distin-
guished position in that assembly, which has been the lists
of so many statesmen. In 1861, upon the adjournment of
Congress, he returned home, and, seeing that war was
inevitable, raised a company of volunteers, marched to Vir-
ginia, and was soon after elected colonel of the Twenty-
sixth Regiment of Xorth Carolina Infantry, a regiment
justly distinguished for the largest loss of killed aiid
wounded at Gettysburg.

He had always been opposed to the secession of the
Southern States; did everything possible to avert it, and
was oue of the very last Southern men to declare his love
and devotion to the Union.

In the battle of Newbern, N. C. , in 1S62, Colonel
V.\N'CE was conspicuous for courage and coolness, and
recei\-ed the highest commendation for his soldierly con-
duct on that field. In August of that year he was elected
governor of the State, and received the almost unanimous
vote of the soldiers. In 1864 he was reelected governor by
a very large majority, and held the executive office until
the occupation of Raleigh by General Sherman in April,
1865.

As the executive of North Carolina his administration
was signally distinguished b\- great ability, vigor, and
energy, by ardent and constant fidelity to the Southern

24 Address of Mr. Ransom of North Carolina.

cause, and bv wise foresight and prudent husbandry of all
the resources of the State. He was in every sense gov-
ernor of the State. From the day on which he entered
upon the duties of the office until the hour when he laid
it down his commanding genius asserted his competence
for the great responsibilities of the position, and his admin-
istration deserved and received the unbounded confidence,
support, and approbation of all the patriotic people of
North Carolina. He called to his councils the wisest, the
best, the most trusted men in the State of all shades of
patriotic sentiment. He inspired the people with renewed
love for the struggle, he united the discordant elements
among us, he animated the despondent, he tolerated the
conscientious lovers of peace, he rebuked the timid, he
brought back to life the spirit of our Revolutionary patriots.
He gave new hope to the arni>-, he aroused the pride of the
State, he strengthened all its means, and prepared for war
to the end. Well may he have been designated as the
"ereat war governor of the South."

Three acts of his administration are justl\- entitled to be
ranked as historic.

First. The organization of a fleet of vessels to sail from
Wilmington, N. C, to Europe with cargoes of cotton and
return with supplies for the soldiers and essential necessa-
ries for the people. This supreme enterprise was eminently
successful. For months and years the Advance and other
vessels, commanded by skillful officers, well manned, and
adequately equipped, went like sea birds across the ocean
to Europe laden with the great staples of the South, and
returning with stores of the needed supplies, triumphantly
eluded the blockading squadron and sailed with colors

Life and Cliaractcr of Zcbtilon Baird I 'aiice. 25

flying up the Cape Fear to Wilmington. The soldiers were
clothed and fed ; cards and spinning wheels, sewing and knit-
ting needles, were furnished to our noble women ; machinery
for looms, surgical instruments, medicines, books, and seeds
were all brought home to a suffering people. The history
of the war does not j^resent an example of greater wisdom
and success.

Second. In 1864 and 1865, when the resources of the
South were absolutely exhausted; when our noble armies
were reduced and hemmed in on every side, ragged,
hungry, and almost without ammunition; when starva-
tion and famine confronted every threshold in the South
and a morsel of bread was the daily subsistence of a
family; in that dark and dreadful hour Governor Vance
first appealed to the government at Richmond, and find-
ing it perfectly helpless to give any relief sunnnoned his
council of State and by almost superhuman efforts pre-
vailed upon the destitute people of North Carolina to
divide their last meal and their pitiful clothing with the
suffering Union prisoners at Salisbury. Humanity, Chiv-
alry, Piety, I invoke from you a purer, better, holier example
of Christian charity in war!

Third. During his administration as governor in North
Carolina, although war was flagrant, though camps covered
the fields, though soldiers were conscripted by thousands,
though cold-hearted men of ample means refused supplies
to soldiers with bleeding feet, though the whole militia was
armed, though thousands of deserters, refugees from duty,
v/ere arrested, though the war department daily called for
more men, though every art and artifice and device was prac-
ticed to keep the soldiers from the field, though spies and

26 Address of A/r. Ransom of Xor/h Carolina.

traitors were detected and seized, though traders in contra-
band of war were constantly caught flagrante delicto and
captured, though in all countries in time of war civil au-
thority has been compelled to submit to military necessity
and power, yet in North Carolina during the war the writ
of habeas corpus, the great writ of liberty, was never for
one moment suspended. Immortal history ! Worthy of
Mecklenburg and the 20th of May, 1775.

In 1876 Governor Vance was for the third time elected
governor of the State, and his administration was the be-
ginning of a new era for North Carolina. During this
administration the fraudulent bonds issued by a reconstruc-
tion legislature were made null and void b)- constitutional
amendment. The debt of the State was adjusted on terms
of equity and justice. Important railroad enterprises were
revived and new internal improvements organized and
begun. The public schools were extended, enlarged, and
improved. Education was provided for the colored people;
asylums for their insane, their deaf, dumb, and blind were
established. A great duty nobly performed!

It was at this period that the legislature established the
county of Vance and named it in honor of him, which fact
contributed largely to the popularity- of the measure cre-
ating the county.

In 1878 he was elected to the Senate, and initil he died
remained a member of this body, having been elected four
times a Senator. His record in the Senate is part of the
nation's history. From the beginning he was an active,
earnest debater, a constant, faithful worker, a dutiful, de-
voted Senator, aspiring and laboring for the welfare and
honor of the whole country. He was at all times on the

Life and Character of Zchuloii Baird I 'atice. 27

important committees of the body, and took a prominent
part in the discnssion of almost every leading question.
He was the unceasing advocate of revenue reform, uncom-
promisingly opposed to civil service, and the ardent friend
Df silver money and its free coinage by the Government.
He vigilantly defended the rights, honor, and interests of
the Southern States, not from sectional passion or preju-
dice, but because it was his duty as a patriot to every State
and to the Union. He was bold, brave, open, candid,
and without reser\-e. He desired all the world to know
his opinions and positions and never hesitated to avow
them.

His heart every moment was in North Carolina. His
devotion to the State and people was unbounded; his solici-
tude for her welfare, his deep anxiety in all that concerned
her, and his ever readiness to make every sacrifice in her
behalf was daily manifested in all his words and actions.
Senator V.\nce was an uncommon orator. He spoke with
great power. His style was brief, clear, and strong. His
statements were accurate and definite, his arguments com-
pact and forcible, his illustrations unsurpassed in their
fitness. His wit and humor were the ever-waiting and
ready handmaids to his reasoning, and always subordinated
to the higher purpose of his speech. They were torch-
bearers, ever bringing fresh light. He always instructed,
always interested, always entertained, and never wearied
or fatigued an audience,' and knew when to conclude.
The Senate always heard him with pleasure, and the
occupants of the galleries hung upon his lips, and with
bended bodies and outstretched necks would catch his every
word as it fell.

28 .-itM/Tss of Mr. Ransom of North Carolina.

He rarely if ever spoke witliout bringing down applause.
His wit was as inexhaustible as it was exquisite. His
humor was overflowing, fresh, sparkling like bubbling drops
of wine in a goblet; but he husbanded these rare resources
of speech with admirable skill, and never displayed them
for ostentation. They were weapons of offense and de-
fense, and were always kept sharp and bright and ready
for use. He was master of irony and sarcasm, but there
was no malice, no hatred in his swift, and true arrows.
Mortal wounds were often given, but the shafts were never
poisoned. It was the strength of the bow and the skill of
the archer that sent the steel through the heart of its vic-
tim. But strength, force, clearness, brevity, honest\' of con-
viction, truth, passion, good judgment, were the qualities
that made his speech powerful and effective.

He believed what he said. He knew it was true; he felt
its force himself; his heart was in his words; he was ready
to put place, honor, life itself, upon the issue. This was
the secret of his popularity, fame, and success as a speaker.
He studied his speeches with the greatest care, deliberated,
meditated upon them constantly, arranged the order of his
topics with consummate discretion, introduced authorities
from history, and very often from sacred history, presented
some popular faith as an anchor to his ship, and concluded
with a sincere appeal to the patriotic impulses of the
people. No speaker ever resorted to the bayonet more
frequentl}-.

He did not skirmish; he marched into the liattle,
charged the center of the lines, and nex-er failed to draw
the blood of the enem\-. Sometimes he was supreme in
manner, in words, in thought, in pathos. He po.sse.ssed

Life and Cliaractcr of Zcbuloii Baird I 'ance. 29

tlie tliuiiderbolts, but, like Jove, he never trifled with them;
he onh' iu\-oked them when gigantic perils confronted his
cause. In 1876, upon his third nomination for gover-
nor, speaking to an immense atidience in the State-house
Square at Raleigh, he held up both hands in the light
of the sun and with solenni invocation to Almighty God
declared that they were white and stainless, that not one
cent of corrupt money had ever touched their palms. The
effect was electric; the statement was conviction and con-
clusion. The argument was unanswerable. It was great
nature's action. It was eloquence. It was truth.

Senator VA^XE's integrity and uprightness in public and
in private life were absolute; they were unimpeached and
unimpeachable; he was honest; it is the priceless inheri-
tance which he leaves to his famil)-, his friends, his countrv.
He was an honest man. Calumn\' fell harmless at his feet,
the light dissipated every cloud and he lived continually
in its broad rays; his breastplate, his shield, his armor was
the light, the truth. There was no darkness, no mystery,
no shadow upon his bright standard.

Senators will all remember the loss of his eve in the win-
ter of 1889. How touching it was — a sacrifice, an offering
on the altar of his country. For no victim was ever
more tightly bound to the stake than he was to his duty
here. How bravely, how patiently, how cheerfully, how
manfully he bore the dreadful loss! But the light, the
glorious light of a warm heart, a noble nature, a good con-
science, an innocent memory was never obscured to him.
It was to him a great bereavement, but it was another, a
more sacred tie that again and again bound his country-
men to him.

30 AcM/'css t>f Mr. Ransom of North Caro/iiia.

In his lono; and tedions illness no complaint, no innr-
murs escaped his calm and cheerful lips. He was com-
posed, firm, brave, constant, hopeful to the last. H'ls love
of country was unabated, his friendships unchanged, his
devotion to duty unrelaxed. His philosophy was serene,
his brow was cloudless, his spirit, his temper, his great
mind, all were superior to his sufferings.

His great soul illuminated the physical wreck and ruin
around it and shone out with clearer luster amid disease
and decay. Truly he was a most wonderful man. His
last thoughts, his dying words, his expiring prayers were
for his country, for liberty and the people. A great patriot,
a noble citizen, a good man, it is impossible not to remem-
ber, to admire, to love him.

I can not compare Senator Van'CE with Caesar, Napo-
leon, or Washington. I can not place him at the side of
Webster, Clay, and Calhoun. I do not measure him with
Chatham and Gladstone. He was not a philosopher like
Franklin, he was not an orator like JMirabeau, but placed
in any company of English or American statesmen he
would have taken high position.

He had not the wisdom and virtue of Macon; he was
not like Badger, a master of argument; he was not like
Graham, a model of dignity and learning; he had not the
superb speech and grand passion of Mangum; he wanted
the tenacious and inexorable logic of Bragg; but in all
the endowments, qualities, faculties, and attainments tliat
make up the orator and the statesman he was the equal of
either. No man among the living or the dead has ever
so possessed and held the hearts of North Carolina's peo-
ple. In their confidence, their affection, their dc\-otion, and

Life and Character of Zebu /on Baird I'ancc. 31

their gratitude he stood miapproachable— without a peer.
Wheu he spoke to them they listened to him with faith,
with admiration, with rapture and exultant joy. His name
was ever upon their lips. His pictures were in almost
every household. Their children by hundreds bore his
beloved name, and his words of wit and wisdom were re-
peated by every tongue.

What Tell was to Switzerland, what Bruce was to Scot-
land, what William of Orange was to Holland, I had al-
most said what ]\Ioses was to Israel, Vance was to North
Carolina. I can give you but a faint idea of the deep,
fervid, exalted sentiment which our people cherished for
their greatest tribune. He was of them. He was one of
them. He was with them. His thoughts, his feelings, his
words were theirs. He was their shepherd, their champion,
their friend, their guide, blood of their blood, great, good,
noble, true, human like they were in all respects, no bet-
ter, but wiser, abler, with higher knowledge and profounder
learning.

Nor was this unsurpassed devotion unreasonable or
without just foundation. For more than the third of a
century, for upward of thirty years, in peace and in war,
in prosperity and in adversity, in joy and in sorrow, he
had stood by them like a brother — a defender, a preserver,
a deliverer. He was their martyr and had suffered for
their acts. He was their shield and liad protected them
from evil and from peril. He had been with them — he
had been with them and their sons and brothers on the
march, by the camp fires, in the burning light of battle;
beside the wounded and the dying; in their darkest hours,
amid hunger and cold, and famine and pestilences, his

32 Address of Mr. A',r//so/// of Xortli Carolina.

watchful care had brought them comfort and slielter and
protection. They remembered the gra\- jackets, the warm
blankets, the good shoes, the timely food, the blessed med-
icines, which his sympathy and provision had brought
them. In defeat, amid tumult, amid ruin, humiliation,
and the loss of all they had, he had been their adviser;
he had guided them through the wilderness of their woes
and brought them safely back to their rights and all
their hopes. He had been to them like the north star to
the storm-tossed and despairing mariner. He had been
greater than Ulysses to the Greeks. He had preserved
their priceless honor, had .saved their homes, and was
the defender of their liberties. He was their benefactor.
Every object around them reminded them of his care,
every memory recalled, every thought suggested, his use-
fulness and their gratitude. The light from their school-
houses spoke of his services to their education. The very
sight of their graves brought back to their hearts his ten-
der devotion to their sons. And the papers and the wires
with the rising of almost every sun bore to their pure
bosoms the news of his success, his triumphs, and his hon-
ors. They were proud of him; the\- admired him — they
loved him. These, these were the foundations, the solid
foundations, of his place in their minds and in their hearts.
From the wind-beaten and storm-bleached capes of Hat-
teras to the dark blue mountain tops tliat divide North
Carolina and Tennessee there is not a spot from which the
name of V.-\N'CK is not echoed with lionor and li)\c. Hut
his inflnence and liis fame were not coufinal witliin vState
lines.

In New England the, sons of the brave Puritans ad-
mired his love of liberty, his independence of thought, his

Life and C/iarnc/cr of Zehiilon Baird I 'ancc. n

freedom of speech, his couteiiipt for pretensions, and his
abhorrence of deceit. The hardy miners in the far West
and on the Pacific hills felt his friendship and were grate-
ful for his services. Virginia loved him as the vindicator
of her imperiled rights and honor. From the farms and
fields and firesides of the husbandmen of the Republic
there came to him the greeting of friends, for he was
always the advocate of low ta.xes and equal rights and
privileges to all men. From all the South he was looked
iipon as the representative of their sorrow and the example
of their honor; and all over the civilized world the people
of Israel — "the scattered nation" — every where bowed with
uncovered heads to the brave man who had rendered his
noble testimony and a tribute to the virtues of their race.
Even the officers, the sentinels, and watchmen over him in
the Old Capitol Prison, in which he was confined on the
alleged and wrongful charge that he had violated the laws
of war, were spellbound by his genial spirit and became
his devoted friends up to the hour of his death. His
genius, his ability, his humanity, his long-continued pub-
lic service, his great physical suffering, a martyrdom to his
duty, the sorcery of his wit, the magic of his humor, and
the courage of his convictions had attracted the universal
sympathy and admiration of the American people.

In the brief summary in the Directory is embraced a
great life: County attorney, member of the State house of
commons; Representative in two Congresses; captain and
colonel in the Southern army; three times elected gov-
ernor of his State, and four times elected to the Senate
of the United States. What a record and what a combi-
nation! A great statesman, a good soldier, a rare scholar, a
.S Mis 151 3

34 Address of Mr. Ransom of North Carolina.

successful lawyer, an orator of surpassing power and elo-
quence, and a man popular and beloved as few men have
ever been! Great in peace and great in war, equal to every
fortune, superior to adversity, and, greater still, superior to
prosoerity! Successful in everything which he attempted,
eminent in every field in which he appeared, and fitted for
every effort which he undertook !

He was master of political science and distinguished in
scholarship and literature. His political speeches were
models of popular oratory and his literary addresses were
compositions of chaste excellence. He wrote an electric
editorial and drafted a legislative bill with equal clearness
and brevity. His pen and his tongue were of equal qual-
ity. He used both with equal power. He wrote much;
he spoke more. Everything emanating from him wore
his own likeness. He borrowed from no man. He imi-
tated no man and no man could imitate him. He was
unique, original, wonderful, incomprehensible unless he
was a genius with faculties and powers of extraordinary
and exceptional character.

His temper was admirable, calm, well balanced, serene.
He cared less for trifles than any man I ever knew. He
brushed them away as a lion shakes the dust from his
mane. In this respect he was a giant. He was like Sam-
son breaking the frail withes that bound his limbs. He
was never confused, rarely impatient, seldom nervous, and
never weak.

He was merciful in the extreme. Suffering touched him
to the quick. He was compassion itself to distress. He
was as tender as a gentle woman to the young, the weak,
the feeble. He was full of charity to all men, charitable

Life and Character of Zebulon Baird I 'aiice. 35

to human frailty in every shape and form and phase. He
had deep, powerful impulses, strong and passionate resent-
ments; in the heat of conflict he was inexorable, but his
generosity, his magnanimity, his sense of justice were
deeper and stronger and better than the few passing pas-
sions of his proud nature. To his family and friends he
was all tenderness and indulgence. His great heart always
beat in duty, with sympathy, with the highest chivalry to
woman.

The man that lays his hand upon a woman.
Save in the way of kindness, is a wretch,
Whom 't were gross flattery to name a coward,

was always upon his lips.

He was ambitious, very ambitious; but with him ambi-
tion was virtue. He aspired to be great that he might be
useful, to do good, to improve and to benefit and to help
mankind. His was not the ambition of pride and of arro-
gance and of power. It was the ambition of benevolence
and philanthropy, the ambition to elevate, to lift up, to
bless humanity.

From early manhood he had possessed a respectable com-
petence. At no time did he ever suffer penury. He hus-
banded with great care his resources and was prudent,
frugal, thoughtful in his expenditures ; but he never turned
a deaf ear to pity or to sorrow. He was not avaricious ;
he had no love for money and was never rich in gold, sil-
ver, and precious stones or lands, but he was opulent in
the confidence and affections of the people. His great
wealth was invested in the attachments, the friendships, the
faith, the devotions of his fellow-men, that priceless wealth
of love of the heart — of the soul — which no money can
purchase.

36 Ac/dress of Mr. Ransom of Kortli Carolina.

In many respects he was very remarkable. In one he
was singularly so. He never affected superiority to human
frailty. He claimed no immunity from our imperfection.
He realized that all of us were subject to the same con-
ditions, and he regarded and practiced humility as a car-
dinal virtue and duty.

Senator V.\nce was happy in his married life. In his
early manhood he was married to Miss Harriet Newell
Esj^ey, of North Carolina. She was a woman of high
intellectual endowments, of uncommon moral 'force, of
exemplary piety, and exercised a great influence for good
over her devoted husband which lasted during his life.
Their union was blessed with four sons, who sur\'ived their
parents. His second wife was Airs. Florence Steele Mar-
tin, of Kentucky, a lady of brilliant intellect, of rare grace
and refinement, who adorned his life and shed luster and
joy on his home.

All during the fatal malady that ended his life, with
sleepless affection, with tireless tenderness, with hoh- duty,
she was by him until the last breath came, and he expired
in her arms, in the solace of her love.

He loved the Bible as he loved no other book. All of
his reverence was for his God. He lived a patriot and a
philanthropist and he died a Christian. This is the sum of
duty audjionor.

He has gone. His massive and majestic form, his full,
flowing white locks, his playful, twinkling eye, his calm,
homelike face, his indescribable voice, have left us fore\er.
He still lives in our hearts.

The great Mirabeau in his d>ing moments asked for
music and for flowers and for perfumes to cheer and

Life and Character of Zehulou Baird I 'a /ice. 37

brighten his mortal eclipse. Vance died blessed with the
fragrance of sweetest affections, consecrated by the holiest
love, embalmed in the tears and sorrows of a noble people.
The last sonnds that struck his ear were the echoes of
their applanse and gratitude, and his eyes closed with the
light of Christian promise beaming upon his soul.

On the night of the i6th of April last we took his cas-
ket from these walls. We bore it across the Potomac —
through the bosom of Virginia, close by the grave of
Washington, almost in sight of the tombs of Jefferson and
iMadison, over the James, over the North and the South
Roanoke, over the unknown border line of the sister
States — to the sad heart of his mother State. The night
was beautiful. The white stars shed their hallowed radi-
ance upon earth and sky. The serenity was lovely. The
whole heavens almost seemed a happy reunion of the con-
stellations. With the first light of daj- the people, singly,
in groups, in companies, in crowds, in multitudes, met
us everywhere along the way — both sexes — all ages — all
races — all classes and conditions. Their sorrow was like
the gathering clouds in morning, ready to drop every
moment in showers.

We carried him to the Statehouse in Raleigh, the scene
of his greatest trials aud grandest triumphs; the heart of
the State melted over her dead son. Her brightest jewel
had been taken away! We left Raleigh in the evening,
and passing over the Neuse, over the Yadkin, over the
Catawba, up to the summit of the Blue Ridge, we placed
the urn with its noble dust on the brow of his own moun-
tain, the mountain he loved so well. There he sleeps in
peace and honor. On that exalted spot the willow and the

38 Address of Air. Ransom of North Carolina.

cypress, emblems of sorrow and mourning, can not grow,
but the bay and the laurel, the trees of fame, will there
flourish and bloom in perpetual beauty and glory. There
will his great spirit, like an eternal sentinel of liberty and
truth, keep watch over his people.

Senators, I feel how unable I have been to perform this
sacred duty. It would have been one of the supreme jo}-s
of my life to have done justice to the life and character of
this great and good man, to have enshrined his memory in
eloquence like his own. But whatever may have been the
faults of these words, I have spoken from a heart full of
sorrow for his death and throbbing with admiration and
pride for his virtues.

Life and Character of Zelmlou Baird J'ance. 39

ADDRESS OF Mr. Morrill.

Mr. President: Our late associate here, Senator Vance,
appears to have been, both early and late, a prime favorite
of North Carolina. He was born there, and was early
made an heir to honorable and lifelong fame. The same
year of his admission to the bar, at the early age of
twenty-two, he was elected county attorney. Two years
later he was elected to the State house of commons, and
then, when only one year past the age of eligibility, he
was promoted to the United States House of Representa-
tives, where he remained a member from 1857 to 1861.

Then, starting as a captain in the military line of the
rebellion, in three months he rose to the rank of colonel.
But his State in 1862 more needed his services as a civil-
ian, and he was elected at the age of thirty-two governor
of the State. By reelection he held this office through
all the stern vicissitudes of the rebellion. While a stanch
supporter of the Confederacy, he yet had some State-rights
differences with its President, but they were amicably
adjusted.

Rarely has anv man so young been intrusted by the peo-
ple of a great State and in a great crisis with the foremost
official stations within their gift.
But to them always —

A man he seems of cheerful yesterdays
And confident to-morrows —

and he had their hearts.

40 Address of Mr. Morrill of I 'crnio)it.

Largely home and self instructed, finely equipped \vith a
full-chested physique and resonant voice, and with a genial
overflow of mother wit, he early became a notable orator
in all political campaigns; but it was his close touch and
familiarity with the leading topics of the day, his fidelity
to his convictions of duty, as well as respect for the senti-
ments of his people, and his spotless personal reputation
which made them grapple him to their souls "with hooks
of steel." To whatever station called, so well pleased
were his people that with one accord they asked to have
him go up higher.

When he was first elected to the House of Representa-
tives in 1857 as a Whig, with South-American proclivities,
I had been serving there first as a Whig with Republican
proclivities, and if either of us then had much reverence
for the Democratic party I must admit it was prudenth- dis-
sembled. Young and brimful of humor, song, and story,
he was highly esteemed by the members of all parties in
the House, as he was here. In. an era when our whole
country appeared to be rumbling with invisible earth-
quakes and hissing with the oratorical skyrockets of seces-
sion he served for four years, or until 1.S61, and, so far as I
remember, contributed nothing to our or to the national
"unpleasantness. ' '

During his Senatorial service, from 1S79, of fifteen }cars
he was not a frequent debater, except on tariff and revenue
questions, where he differed radically fi-om such ancient
Whig statesmen as Badger, Manguin, and Stanly, formerly
representing the Old North State; but whenever he spoke
he had no lack of hearers, and they were often rewarded
by the originality of his remarks and by the witticisms

Life and Characto' of Zcbuloit P>aird I'aiice. 41

interspersed, redolent of his native Buncombe Connty. So
long as health permitted he was a regular attendant upon
the meetings of the Senate Finance Committee, of which
he was a valuable member.

The large increase in the number of the members in
both Houses of Congress has made obituary notices of such
frequent occurrence that I fear the time occupied for the
brief tributes here to our departed fellow-members is some-
times granted with reluctance. I feel sure, however, that
no one will begrudge the hour subtracted from legislative
affairs and now given up to the memory of the most
beloved man perhaps of his State associated with us here
for many years, and one, however widely apart politically
from some of us, for whom every Senator here to-day is a
sincere mourner.

I called upon him toward the end of his earthh- career
and found him bearing his bodily afflictions with cheerful
fortitude.

The loss to his State will be great, and to his family
incomputable. Personally, I lament here to say, farewell,
my time-honored friend!

42 Address of Mr. Sherman of Ohio.

ADDRESS OF Mr. Sherman.

Mr. President: The frequent recurrence of scenes like
this, when the Senate pauses in its important duties to note
the death of one of its members, must impress us with
the feeble tenure with which we hold both life and public
honor. We recall our departed associate with kindness and
charity. We bury in his grave all the differences of opin-
ion, all party or sectional contentions, and think only of the
good he has done, of the qualities of his head and heart
which gained our affection or commanded our respect.
It is in this spirit I wish to add a few words to the elo-
quent eulogy of Governor V.\nce by his distinguished
colleague.

My first acquaintance with him was when he became a
member of the House of Representatives of the Thirty-fifth
Congress, having been elected to fill a vacancy caused by
the election of Mr. Clingman to the Senate. He was about
twenty-eight years old, large, handsome, and of pleasing
address and manner. He called himself a Whig — a Henry
Clay Whig — and supported the public policy of that emi-
nent statesman. In this we were in hearty sympathy. We
were throvvu frequently into kindly association. We could
agree on many questions of public policy, but we could not
agree on the sectional question then arising like a threaten-
ing cloud on the horizon. We were born in different lati-
tudes, under the influence of different institutions, with firm
convictions honestly entertained but diametrically opposite
with respect to the institution of slavery.

Life and Cltaractcr of Zcbulon Baird \ 'ance. 43

This wide difference of opinion was chiefly sectional,
and therefore more dangerous. This institntion was a
slumbering volcano anxiously perceived by the framers of
our Constitution and carefully dealt with, in the hope that
by the action of the several States African slavery would
be gradually abolished as inconsistent with our free insti-
tutions. This hope was delusive. Slavery at different
periods of our history threatened our National Union, but
happily this contention was wisely smothered by the com-
promises of 1820 and 1850, though it only needed a torch to
arouse it into activity. The repeal of the Missouri com-
promise in 1854 was the cause, or, as some say, the pretext,
of the violent destruction of parties and the civil war.

Governor Vance entered Congress, in 1858, as a mem-
ber of the American party, occupying a middle position'
between the Democratic and the Republican parties. He
did not rush into the arena of debate, but his personal and
social qualities, and especially his wit and humor, were
well known, and gained him many friends. After a month
or two he was drawn into a brief casual debate, and at once
was recognized as a young man of marked ability. Later
in the same session he made one speech defining his opin-
ions on the leading questions of the day. From this time
his ability as a debater was conceded.

In the memorable Thirty-sixth Congress Governor
Vance took a more active part. He still held his fellow-
ship with the American party, but that party melted away
under the influence of passing events. The struggle in
Kansas, the formation of the Republican party, the break-
ing up of the Charleston convention, the adoption of new
dogmas for and against slavery — these and many other

44 Address of Mr. Sherman of Ohio.

exents left no room for parties except on sectional lines,
and no choice of policy except disunion with sla\'er\' per-
petuated, or of union with slavery abolished. I criticise
no man for his choice in that conflict. It was indeed an ir-
repressible conflict, the seeds of which were planted before
our Union was founded. Governor Vance took sides with
liis people and I with mine. The result was in the dis-
posal of the Almighty Ruler of the uni\erse, who doeth
all things well. I believe the time will come, if it has
not already come, when the North and the South, the Con-
federate and the Union soldier, and their descendants in
far distant generations, will thankfully unite in piaise to
God that our conflict ended with a restored and strength-
ened Union.

There can be no doubt that at the beginning of the civil
war Governor Vance was consi^icuous at home as well as
here as an ardent, outspoken Union man, but he also loved
his State and his people, among whom he had been born
and bred, and when they were swept away b\- the torrent
of opinion in the belief that it was their duty to secede
from the Union he went with them. The question, as it
presented itself to his mind, was whether he should fight
with his neighbors or against them. Of his decision in
such a choice there could be no doubt. As a soldier and
governor of North Carolina he did all he could to establish
the Southern Confederacy, but when the events of the war
led the Confederate authorities to trench upon what he con-
sidered as the rights of his people he firmly insisted upon
preserving those rights.

Some years after the war closed he was elected to a
seat in this body. I need not sa>- to Senators that in the

Life and Character of Zebiiloii Baird I 'ance. 45

pertbrinance of his public duties aud iu his association with
his fellow-Senators he was always a pleasant companion
and a kind and indul.yent friend. He carefully attended to
public duties, took his full share in the debates, and con-
tributed by his wisdom and counsel to many important
I^ublic measures.

The life of a man and a nation is like the current of a
river, full of dangers, at times calm and slow and then
rapid and turbulent. From the feeble spring of infancy to
the resting place in the ocean or the grave, there are nrany
trials, vicissitudes, storms, and trouble, as well as peace-
ful and happy moments. Our enjoyment of life depends
largely upon temperament. The obstructions in our wa)-
are mountains or molehills, according to the disposition of
each individual. We create in a measure our own sun-
shine and shadow. It has always seemed to me that the
jDeculiar characteristics of Governor V.\XCE were his happ)-
temperament and hopeful view of life. He carried with
him wherever he went cheerfulness and joy. The humor
and pathos with which he illustrated an argument, the sin-
cerity and moderation of his opinions, his fidelity to his
friends, the apparent honesty of his convictions — these
were the attributes of our departed friend. In his life
among us in the Senate he was cheerful, kind, and consid-
erate. He left no enemies here. He died assured of the
affection or his family, the confidence of his constituents,
the love and respect and honor of his associates in the
Senate.

46 Address of Air. Bate of Tennessee.

Address of Mr. Bate.

Mr. President: Between the spurs of the Blue Ridge
and its mountain-mother, the Alleghanies, a race of people
from the Atlantic shore — whose lineage was Scotch-Irish
and English, with a dash of Huguenot — had cut their way
through a wilderness, with ax and rifle, and the Bible as
their companion, and become in this Piedmont country
lords of the forest and field. These adventurous pioneers,
hardy and brave, found homes in this intermountain spot,
and, observant of social, religious, and educational advan-
tages, soon developed into the finest type of American
manhood.

It was there, among this God-fearing and country loving
pioneer people, that Zebulon Baird Vaa'CE first saw the
light of day. It was there, on the banks of the French
Broad River — where, in their westward flow, its bright and
rapid waters leap from rock to rock, as a silver arrow from
the bowstring; there, where valley and mountain and bright
waters meet and mingle within the same scope of vision,
presenting scener\- that makes romance of reality; it was
there, in this temple of nature, among plain and patriotic
people, unpretentious and true, and with home associations
simple and .sympathetic, gentle and genial, that Senator
Vanx'E, destined to become a factor in the political his-
tory of our countr\-, in his boyhood and manhood caught
those true and manly inspirations that guided him in his
noble and remarkable career throughout his useful and suc-
ccssAil life.

Life and Character of Zebiihn Baird Vance. 47

His was an intellect of marked capacity, and of a rare
order of completeness, pervaded and informed by all those
moral perceptions which make so invariable an adjunct to
the strongest understanding. His perception of truth was
almost an instinct, and his love of it truly conscientious.
His temper was admirable, and free from all vanity and
jealousy. He was a cavalier in loftiness of thought and
action, v/ithout a particle of cant or formality or pretense.
He was a genuine, brave, strong man — a thorough gentle-
man, who inspired the fullest confidence and the most cor-
dial liking. Whatever display he made was in truest taste,
simple, easy, and natural, without the tinsel of ambition or
eflFort. He had the power, the morals, and the manners of
the best models of American statesmen.

His advocacy of great principles and useful opinions was
often expressed in this Senate with boldness of view, some-
times with severity of remark, and often with beauty and
vivacity of expression. Many of the highest prizes in the
lottery of political life came within his grasp, and with
the vivifying spirit of a laudable ambition he seized them
and used them only for his country, his State, and her
people. As Representative, governor, and Senator his in-
tellect, zeal, labor, and love were freely expended for the
honor, glory, and welfare of North Carolina and her
people.

There is a country accent —

Says a philosopher^

not in speech only, but in thought, conduct, character, and manner, which never
forsakes a man —

and never was that remark more strikingly illustrated than
in the late Senator Vanxe. He was a North Carolinian

48 Address of Mr. Bate of Tennessee.

"intus et in cute;" ever\- peculiarit\' of her people, the
very idiosyncrasies of her citizens, were discernible in his
mental, moral, and political make-up. But every step of
his ascending- honors was taken with an e\e sing-le to her
protection, defense, honor, and safety. Of his extraordi-
nary aptitude for business at the proper time and in the
proper way I need onh' recall the fact that as governor of
Nortli Carolina, during the darkest period of the late civil
war, and when a depreciated currency had unsettled all
values and disrupted all the machinery of trade, when
commerce was blockaded and transportation impeded, he
was able to maintain in more comfort and in greater effi-
ciency the Confederate regiments of North Carolina than
fell to the lot of those of other Southern States.

There is a record of fifty-seven regiments, and there may
be more, whose clothing, shoes, hats, blankets, and mus-
kets were furnished and (Ieli\-ered through his tact, perse-
verance, and energy. And those regiments, composed of
men and officers from "the Old North State," attested his
wise provision for their efficiency by as gallant a record as
was made by any troops in eitlier army, and whose valor
our deceased friend made more effective by his wise fore-
sight and care for their health and comfort.

( )ther countries, Mr. President, have had their civil wars,
with which history deals according to the prejudices and
politics of their historians, but now their people look bach
upon the past without animosit)- to either party.

France had her great rex'olution, but the followers of the
"crowned soldier of democracy," whether enlisted from
Parisian Jacobins or Vendean monarchists, are remembered
to-day only as the brave sons of P' ranee.

Life and CJiaraclcr of Zebnloit Baird J'aiice. 49

The Roundhead and the Cavalier of England, whetlier
in the ranks of Cromwell's Ironsides or charging with rash
Rupert, are to-day bright jewels in the galaxy of England's
gallant sons.

In our civil war citizens of the same Commonwealth
were impelled by that first and supreme necessity that is
not chosen but chooses — which is paramount to all delib-
eration and admits of no' discussion and demands no evi-
dence. They were forced into conflict by the operation of
principles they did not originate and by circumstances
over which they had no control. And now, since both
sides from their respective standpoints believed they were
in the right, let us, on occasions like this, in this national
forum, common in representation of all sections and all
parties, bring wreaths to the "bivouac of the dead" with-
out stopping to discuss the resolutions of '98 or the condi-
tions which they created, or the wisdom or foil)' which
inspired on the other side the spirit of fanaticism. Be our
politics what thev may, let us all honor the brave and
heroic sons of all the States, as models and exemplars of
American character; and, since " grim-visaged war has
smoothed his wrinkled front," let us honor those who
were heroes in the strife with true American patriotism
and pride. No man has been a member of the Senate since
the war who was more consistent in that respect, more will-
ing to remit the cause and conduct of the war to the ver-
dict of unbiased and truthful histor)', or more disposed to
treasure the memory of the personal heroism of all Ameri-
can soldiers, than our late associate.

Mr. President, in the public life and services of our
deceased friend we ha\e " the abstract and brief chronicle"
S Mis 151 4

50 Address of Mr. Bate of Tennessee.

of politics in the Southern States throughout the last
thirty }ears. He was a party man in the highest meaning
of that term; true and faithful to the Federal Union as he
understood its obligations — interpreting the powers, limi-
tations, and restrictions of its Constitution by the light of
the precepts and principles of its framers, and with intense
convictions that any wide departure from those canons of
construction would inevitably lead to the destruction of
our form of Federal Government. He felt that if we pnt
out the light of the fathers we —

Know not where is that Promethean heat
That can its flame relume.

His advent into politics was amid the throes and convul-
sions of civil war, the closing exigencies of which shaped
in our Southland the political course of Whigs and Demo-
crats, with the stern hand of inexorable fate, to save the
very form and substance of society and civilization. But,
notwithstanding the intense strain that was upon him in
those exciting and exacting years, he was at no time a
violent or uncandid partisan, and never nursed those exag-
gerations or that unfairness which too often influence
political action; nor did the idea of personal animosit}- or
ungenerous feeling toward a political opponent discolor his
public life.

Senator Vance was a man of such irresistible wit and
humor that I may apply to him the language of another,
and say: "This relieved the wear>-, calmed the resentful,
and animated the drows}-; this drew smiles even from such
as were the object of it, and scattered flowers over a desert,
and, like sunbeams sparkling on a lake, gave spirit and
vivacity to the dullest and least interesting cause." It

Life and Character of Zcbuloii Baird J'ance. 51

was often his pleasure to illustrate his argiiments, or
enliven his conversation, with the incidents and peculiari-
ties of life in North Carolina; and his laughter-creating
anecdotes, his quaint jokes, and funny stories will long
remain in our memories as specimens of wit and humor,
of broad and striking illustrations, and oftentimes of forci-
ble argument, but always devoid of the sting of malice, or
the point which wounded personal feeling. To a keen
facult}' of observation he added a swift dexterity of appli-
cation which, with the sunny current of his humor and
free and joyful sympathy, made him a truh" robust man, in
whom the harmonies and just play of all his faculties
imparted a kind feeling toward all men.

Glad light from within ratliates outward, and enlightens and embellishes.

He had a taking way on the hustings. His arguments
consisted in a plain way of telling simple truths — illus-
trated with anecdotes and brightened with ready wit. In
his mode of speech he did not "beat about the bush," but
advanced in direct line to the citadel, which he generally
captured, to the discomfort of his adversaries. His easy,
flowing, natural style of speech — ready and racy — ever
gained applause from his people, which to him was as
sweet incense on the altar of patriotism. Adulation, how-
ever, did not spoil him — V.'^nce was too big a man for
that. As a strong, broad, and well-rounded man he re-
ceived the plaudits of the multitude -with proper grace,
and instead of "turning his head," they were incentives
to higher emprise.

The ' ' bonhomie ' ' was an active element in his nature,
and always kept him in warmest touch with his Iriends
and often drew the sting from his enemies. He was as

52 Address of Mr. Bate of Tennessee.

much the einbodiinent of the principles of Democracy as
any man who has taken part in our political life for a quar-
ter of a century, and was truly a Great Commoner. He
never seemed more in his element than when engaged in
a hot political canvass before his North Carolina constit-
uency, in advocacy of their rights and interests, and the
hotter and more stormy the canvass the better. Indeed he
reveled in it, and was as much at home amid the clashing
elements as the petrel in the storm ; and whenever the
fight was on he was sure to be a factor, and in at the death.
But to him, Mr. President, ever\- political storm cloud had
its bow of promise, and when the fury abated it left him
in a serene atmosphere, well poised and contemplative, and
ready to take advantage of the situation for the good of
his people and party; and withal, he never sacrificed his
convictions for mere temporary success.

He was for the whole people, and .ser\-ed tliem faithfullj-.
He knew no faction or clique and invoked no artificial aid,
but when he asked office he went directly to the people
and drank at the fountain. His strong personality warmed
his constituents in a magnetic way, and they clung unto
him. His native endowments and cultured knowledge of
human nature kept him en rapport with the best citizen-
ship and won a sense of superiority without exciting jeal-
ousy. Yet there was nothing in his nature or bearing that
was not in accord with the humblest, and while he was easy
and familiar with all classes, that familiarity never begot
contempt, but inspired a genial feeling akin to brotiierhood.

These nalural gifts, these persuasive characteristics, this
graceful ada])tability, easily made him a hero on the hust-
ings, and the ballot box became his mascot. His practical

Life and Character of Zclmlon Baird I 'ance. 53

utterances and homely >et happy illustrations became
household words, and with the plain people he was Sir
Oracle.

For more than thirty years "Zeb" Vance, as he was
familiarly called, was the political idol of the people of
North Carolina, and during any part of that time he might
have truly said of fhem, "Sum fui pars." He rejoiced at
their prosperity and mourned their misfortunes ; in their
need he was a benefactor — in adversity their bulwark and
strength. Whatever faults he had — and who has them
not? — were open and bravely avowed — soon forgiven and
forgotten. He felt that he owed a duty to his country
and his fellow-man, and, Mr. President, without discount,
he paid the debt. He learned and loved the teachings of
the Bible, and was guided by his faith. His cheerfulness
brightened his social relations ; his gentle domesticity
made home happy ; his sterling virtues inspired respect
and confidence while they imparted usefulness.

He was a bon vivant without dissipation ; his hospitality
was to him a luxury and to his guests a delight, and he, in
turn, was ".persona grata" in every household in the Old
North State.

Disease and misfortune did not unman him — and he
often met it with grim humor. The loss of an eye a few
years before his death did not discourage him, or abate his
efforts to serve his constituents. Indeed, while sitting here
at this desk next me — we were desk mates for the last
three years — he, in a vein of pleasant humor, just before
commencing his last great speech in this Chamber, allud-
ing to the fact of having lost an eye, said :

Misfortunes have their blessings, for surely no man can now deny that I have
an eye single to the interest of my constituents.

54 Address of Mr. Bate of Tennessee.

Disease and suffering did not appall him or drive from
him hope and courage. He was cheerful and sometimes
facetious, even when the "sword of the spirit had well-
nigh cut through the scabbard of the flesh." He died at
his post, and with dignity and calmness — '■

Wrapt the drapery of his couch about him,
And lay down to pleasant dreams.

t

Upon the announcement of his death North Carolina
became one vast "lodge of sorrow," in which every heart
was mufiied, and its sad beat was responsive to the melan-
choly occasion. His biography, truthfully written, will be
the sweetest aroma in the urn of North Carolina history.

You may break, you may shatter the vase if you will,
But the scent of the roses will hang round it still.

Life and Character of Zebulon Baird I ance. 55

ADDRESS OF Mr, Gray.

Mr. President: The man whose loss we mourn to-day
was no ordinary man, and the words of touching eulogy
to which we ha\-e listened have set vibrating chords of
sympathy and grief in a manner and to a degree not
ordinary. How hard is it for each of us, even after this
interval since his death, to realize that we shall see his face

no more.

Senator Vaxce had become, more than is usual, a part,
an almost necessary part, it seemed, of our daily life here.
In him the humanities were so active and so abundant that
he seemed made to brighten social life and strengthen the

social instinct.

In this hour of sad retrospect his kindness of heart, his
ready and responsive sympathy, his catholicity of spirit,
his freedom from bigotry, envy, and all uncharitableness,
are the qualities upon which we who knew and loved him
fain would dwell to the exclusion of those attributes of
intellect and character which excited our admiration and so
distinguished his public career. And yet the "elements
were so mixed in him"'— his gentleness, his courage, his
mao-nanimitv, his robust manhood, his humor, and his re-
markable intellectual gifts— that it is hard to analyze the
man or consider him otherwise than he was, teres atque
rotundus.

His public life was a long and full one. It covered a
period replete with interest to his State and country.
Fearless in the expression of his mature convictions, he

56 .rliMrrss of Mr. Gray of Dela"a-arc.

had an almost iinequaled power of impressing them on the
Senate and the country.

His equipment as an orator was strong and unique.
Great quickness of perception was united to great facility
and felicity of speech. His mind was well disciplined
and logical, and he maintained the purpose and continuity
of his argument with great ability and skill. But it was
in what is called running debate that, it seemed to me,
his greatest power was displayed. The quick play of his
intellectual forces here made him preeminent. Sarcasm,
repartee, humor, were all at instant command. Of these
weapons he had always a quiver full, and woe to the
antagonist who carelessly exposed himself to them. But
this ready wit never left scars behind.

He never made a brow look dark
Nor caused a tear but when he died.

Like lambent lightning, his wit was softly bright; it
illuminated, but did not burn.

There are few of us who can not recall the delight
occasioned by its display, and how story, epigram, and
apt illustration lighted up many a tedious discussion, his
clearness of mental vision making many a crooked path
straight. No debate was dull in which he engaged, and
no one cared to leave this Chamber when \'ance was on
the floor.

No one who heard the long debate on the tariff bill of
1890 will ever forget the part wliich was taken in it by
Senator Vance.

As a member of the Finance Committee of this body he
bore in large measure the burden of that memorable dis-
cussion. The details of the bill were thoroughh' mastered
by him, and he devoted laborious days and nights to the

Life and Character of Zebiiloii Baird ] 'ance. 57

study of tlie complex and difficult questions invoh-ed in its
consideration. He sacrificed his ease and comfort to the
performance of his duty, and his uuremitting devotion to
the work before him through the long weeks and months
of that spring and summer cost him the sight of an eye
and greatly impaired his naturally strong constitution.

It has been given to few men to carve for themselves so
secure a niche in the temple of their country's fame.

Senator Vance was thoroughly in touch with the plain
people, as Lincoln loved to call them. He understood
them, and was one in feelings and sympathy with them.
He loved the folklore of the mountain districts of his own
State, and dwelt with fond jjleasure on the home-bred
traits and fireside virtues of the people among whom he
lived.

And right royally did that generous people return his
love.

It was my sad privilege, Mr. President, to be one of the
committee that accompanied his remains to their last rest-
ing place in the State he loved so well, and I was witness
to the spontaneous expression of affectionate regard for his
memory.

The demonstration was confined to no class or color.
Wherever we went rich and poor, white and black, alike
seemed in their grief to have received that touch of nature
which makes the whole world kin.

And when we had performed the last melancholy offices
for the dead, and left him in his grave on the moun-
tain side, amid the beautiful scenery of the French Broad,
we felt that no monumental marble would be necessary
to preserve the rich heritage of the name and fame of
Zebulon B. Vance to his State and country.

58 Address of Mr. Blackbitrii of Kentucky.

ADDRESS OF Mr. Blackburn.

Mr. PRE.SIDENT: I have thought that it might be better
that these ceremonies should be changed and that what-
ever was to be said of the dead might be said at the time
when the announcement of the death was made.

If I had taken counsel of the love that I bore this man I
would have come as others have, with a carefullv arranged
and prepared eulogy illustrating his virtues and his merits.
But I have not. However, I listened to the address deliv-
ered by his surviving colleague, and it went far to remove
the prejudice that I hold against these ceremonials, for
never in all my life did I hear the virtues, the merits, the
worth of a man more eloquently portrayed, more fairly
and truthfull}- put.

I can not agree to let this occasion go by without at-
testing at the expense of the time of the Senate for one
minute the appreciation in which I held this man and the
love that I cherished for him. His genial nature attracted
ev-erybody. There was a sj^ecial reason for me to know
him closely. The widow whom he left behind him is a
cherished and petted daughter of my State. That natur-
ally drew us together. I knew him for the last twenty
years. I knew liim by reputation before. Whether as sol-
dier or as citizen, as member of the other House, as mem-
ber of this Chamber, or as governor of his State in the
stormiest day that this country ever knew, he loomed up
always above the forms of tho.se by whom he was sur-
rounded. He was known as tlie great war governor of the

Life and Character of Zebiiloii Baird J 'ancc. 59

South, and ranked side by side with the great Curtiii, of
Pennsylvania, who represented the loyalty of the Union at
that dark hour.

This man's character, Mr. President, is best illustrated
by an instance with which I became acquainted only
within the last week, and but for which I would not have
asked the indulgence of the Senate to attest my love to his
memory. The General Commanding the Armies of this
country told me less than a week ago that when the war
ended he was left in command of the district of North
Carolina. He received an order peremptory from the War
Office here to arrest Governor Vance, to capture all his
papers and correspondence and send them to the War
Department. He said he knew full well that Vance was
not seeking to flee the country or avoid arrest, but that he
sent an officer up to his mountain home- with instructions
to capture every paper that belonged to his official or his
personal correspondence and bring them there; and the
officer did.

General Schofield sent Governor Vance with those pa-
pers and records here to the then Secretary of War. We
all remember that that was Pennsylvania's great war offi-
cer, Stanton, whom some people thought was not mild,
whom some thought was even savage; but who, in my
judgment, in point of efficiency and ability was the great-
est war minister that the earth has known since the days
of the elder Carnot of France. General Schofield sent
Governor Vance here, and among those records he sent
the book which contained every particle of correspond-
ence that Vance had ever held with the President of the
dead Confederacy. All was open, and Stanton e-xamined

6o Address of Mr. JUackbiirii of Koitiickv-

it ail. Wiieu lie did, and saw wliat tliis man had done,
how persistent his efforts liad been to ameliorate the con-
dition of Federal prisoners and to assuage the horrors of
war, this great Secretary said to him, "Upon your record
you stand acquitted; you are at liberty to go where you
will."

Mr. President, may not we who knew this man so well
and loved him so closely indulge the hope that another,
a greater Judge, with ampler power, whose writs run
throughout eternity as well as time, after examining the
record of a life spent in the service of his fellows, reached
the same conclusion and delivered the same verdict that
Stanton did, and told our dead friend that "Upon your
record you stand acquitted, and through all the shining
realms of Paradise you may go where you will."

Life and Character of Zchiiioii naini I ance.

6i

ADDRESS OF Mr. George.

Mr. President: I willingly comply with the request of
the senior Senator from North Carolina [Mr. R.a.nsom] to
take part in these memorial services.

My personal acquaintance with Senator Vance com-
menced in 1881, when I became a member of the Senate.
He had then been a Senator for a time long enough to
acquire a leadership on the Democratic side of this Cham-
ber—a leadership which was every year more and more
distinctly recognized until his death.

Fron: the very first I was attached to him, not more by
his many high social qualities than by a conviction on my
part of his great value as a statesman. Our association
was such that it enables me to say with pride that we
were friends. His powers of debate were remarkable and
in many respects unrivaled. He possessed sound logic,
which enabled him to solve the most difficult problems
and to present his views on them with great clearness and
force. He was gifted also with great humor, which he
used in debate with effectiveness in illustrating his argu-
ment. He used his great powers of wit and humor not
as mere ornament to his discourse, but always as a sub-
stantial aid to his argument. This gift was always made
subordinate to, and a servant of, his powers of reasoning.
He was one of the few men whom I have known who,
being possessed of brilliant powers to please and attract
by wit, humor, and anecdote, never succumbed to the

62 Address of Mr. George of Mississippi.

temptation to be amusing and agreeable at the expense of
being instructive.

In any legislative bod\- in the world he would have been
esteemed great.

The moral side of Senator Vance was no less admirable.
He was brave, generous, magnanimous, humane, tender,
and, above all, honest; honest not only in his actions, but
in his thoughts. He had his high ideal of the good, and
lived up to it without deviation. His idea of honesty did
not stop at fairness in dealings with others, but it com-
pelled an adherence to fair dealing with himself, an honest
and upright purpose in the ends he sought, either by pri-
vate enterprise or public service. He had an ambition to
serve in public life, but it was an ambition which found
gratification only in rendering great public service. He
loved the great mass of his countrymen; he sympathized
in their struggles and in their aspirations. His ambition
was to make these struggles easier, and to make these aspi-
rations higher and nobler, and to secure to them as the end
more happiness and greater advancement.

In an age where the occasional demoralization of pub-
lic men had cast suspicion upon high characters, not the
slightest taint ever rested upon him. He was unspotted.
He went through the fiery ordeal with no stain upon his
garment. He had that high devotion to the people's rights
and interests that he could not view public measures in any
other aspect than as to their effect on the general welfare.
He never considered them with reference to their effect
on his own personal or ])olitical fortunes or for the purpose
of advancing the interest of a few fa\'orites of fortune or
of government.

Life and Character of Zcbition Baird I 'aiicc. 63

111 conclusion I feel warranted in saying that the sober
verdict of history will assign to Senator Vance a very
high place in the first class of American statesmen, and
that his death, at that stage of the development of his high
powers when his greatness and usefulness were recognized
by all, came too soon for the public good, and was a great
national loss.

64 Address of Mr. Call of Florida.

Address of Mr. Call.

Mr. President: I served in the Senate during the en-
tire term of service of the departed Senator, and I sat near
him and in his immediate presence for many years. I
knew him well, and admired him for his excellent fancy,
his infinite wit and mirth, which staled not, neither grew
weary, and for his great talents, his learning and accom-
plishments, and more than all for the great, noble heart
which was ever full of love and sympathy for all that was
good and beautifnl, and for devotion to right and duty
and to the uplifting of the people into a brighter and hap-
pier life. The common saying, "None knew him but to
love him," had in him its full and truthful example and
illustration.

I leave to others more familiar with his life and services
in his own State the record of his life there and the story
of the love and devotion of the people of the State of
North Carolina to him and their pride in his talents, his
character, and his great and varied public services, and
will confine my observations to the impression he made
upon the Senate in debate and in the familiar intercourse
of the cloakroom and of social life. We all knew that his
was a mind of a high order, active, vigilant, investigat-
ing, stored with facts acquired from constant reading and
study, and a spirit pure and untarnished from the world's
contact, but growing brighter, ])urcr, and stronger by the
exercise of the highest virtues.

Life ami Cliaractcr of Zebitioti Baird I 'ancc. 65

If wit and mirth and merriment witli its orenial atmos-
phere al\va)-s came from his presence and dissipated all
sorrow and gloom, it did not obscnre the light of his tal-
ents and his learning, but gave the greater admiration of
his varied gifts and made us all feel that the poe^ Bvron's
description of Sheridan, that nature made but one such
man, was true of him, and tliat she liad in Zebulon B.
\'axce given to the Senate and the country- another Sheri-
dan. Between these two men, both of whom are now
historical, there was much resemblance in the nature of
their talents and their qualities of heart and character,
though differing widely in their habits of life.

The luster of Sheridan's and \'ance's names and charac-
ters for wit and genius and great and varied gifts of mind
and lovely emotions and sympathies still remains and sheds
a light of joy and gladness upon our race and the spirit of
our literature.

In yon historic hall the memory and the traditions ot
the genius and learning of the departed great men of our
race are stored for our study, our instruction, our example,
our delight, and our encouragement to renewed efforts to
elevate our race, and to teach us that there is a life beyond
for the spirit and its gifts, and for the character formed
of such like efforts, emotions, and sympathies — a life of
joy and brightness.

To Senator Zebulon B. Vance belongs a higher trib-
ute of praise than even our love and admiration can give
him.

I have read somewhere a legend from the East, the
land where we find traces of a civilization equal if not
superior to our own, a civilization which has been lost and
S Mis 151— 5

66 Address of Mr. Call of Florida.

forgotten, which perished without a histor%-, and whicli is
only known by tradition and tlie excavated remains of art
and sculpture and the massive ruins of an architecture
impossible to ns. In this strange land of an ancient and
ruined civilization and of the lost arts, whicli the great
orator and philanthropist of Massachusetts, Wendell Phil-
lips, in his orations on the lost arts describes — from this
people, it is said, comes this tradition.

An Eastern sage had passed his life in study and in
devotion to the good of the people. After death he passed
into the presence of the recording angel at the gates of
Paradise. The angel, with the book of life open before
him, said, "What hast thou done, O Abdul Kadiz, that
thou shouldst be admitted within the gates of Paradise?"
The sage replied, "I have loved my fellow-men!" The
angel said, "It is written in the great book of life, 'Abdul
Kadiz; he loved his fellow-men.' Enter thou into the
joys of Paradise;" and wide sprung open the golden
gates.

If this legend of the spirit land as it came from the for-
gotten race, with all its perished life, be true, the spirit of
our departed brother when he came into the presence of
the angel with the great book of life, when asked, "What
hast thou done to enter within the gates of Paradise?"
said, "I have loved my fellow-men," and the angel with
the book of life replied, "Thus it is written in tlie great
book of life — thou hast loved thy fellow-men; enter thou
into the joys of Paradise."

In the mysterious and never-ending procession of our
race from infancy until it disappears in that future of
which we know not, except in the faith of religion and

Life a)id Character of Zebu Ion Baird Vance. 67

reason; in the midst of all its dark and cruel shades there
has appeared in all its career a light of love and gentle-
ness, of truth and self-sacrifice, which illumines its dark
and bloody features, ind lifts humanity into a happier and
more beautiful life. For nearly two thousand years the
God man, the Christ of our religion, has given to human-
ity the example and the instruction cf this higher and
better life.

In His footsteps the noble army of martyrs, the seed of
the Church, whos^ praise is ever chanted, have trodden ;
and amongst the spirits whose life has been one of love
for mankind, although not called to be a martyr, will be
justly placed our departed brother,, whose wit delighted,
whose talents instructed, whose life encourages other men
to enlist in the great work of making our race 'happier in
their lives, and free it from the dominion of vice and want
and cruelty.

What nobler anthem than this can be sung over his
departure from us ! What more comforting thought can
come to those who remain, to the lovel\- woman whose
care and devotion brightened his life, stimulated his
spirit, and encouraged him in thoughts of high accom-
plishment, of high courage and constant labor for right
and duty, and which cheered and softened the last hours
of his life with us !

To Senator Vance we may truthfully apply the beau-
tiful monody of Byron to Sheridan upon his departure
from this life.

They so resembled each other in their intellects, their
emotions, their gifts, that the description of one applies to
the other.

68 Address of Mr. Call of Florida.

A mighty Spirit is eclipsed — a Power
Hath pass'd from day to darkness — to whose hour
Of light no likeness is bequeath'd — no name.
The flash of Wit — the bright Intelligence,
The beam of Song — the blaze of Eloijuence,
Set with their Sun.

From the charmM council to the festive beard,
Of human feelings the unbounded lord ;

*****
The gay creations of his spirit charm,
The matchless dialogue — the deathless wit,
Which knew not what it was to intermit.

*****
Ye Orators ! whom yet our councils yield,
Mourn for the veteran Hero of your field !
Ye Bards ! to whom the Drama's Muse is dear^
He was your master — emulate him here.
Ye Men of wit and social eloquence!
He was your brother — bear his ashes htnce
While powers of mind almost of boundless range.
Complete in kind — as various in their change.
While Eloquence — Wit — Poesy — and Mirth,

*****
Sun'ive within our souls — while lives our sense
Of pride in Merit's proud preeminence,
Long shall we seek his likeness — long in vain.

Lije and Character of Zcbitlon Baird I ance. 69

Address of Mr. Dubois.

Mr. President: Zebulon B. Vance was born on the
13th day of May, 1830, in Buncombe County, N. C. He
was educated at Washington College, Tennessee, and the
University of North Carolina. In January, 1852, he was
admitted to the bar and was elected attorney for his native
county in the same year. In 1854 he served as a member
of the State house of commons of North Carolina, and was
a Representative from North Carolina in the Thirty-fifth
and Thirty-sixth Congresses. In May, 1861, he entered
the Confederate army as a captain and was promoted to a
colonelcy in August of the same year. He was elected
governor of North Carolina in August, 1862, and was
reelected in August, 1864.

He was known as the war governor of his State, and dur-
ing his administration the great writ of habeas corpus was
never suspended. During his incumbency of the ofiBce of
governor, and just at the close of the war, his State was
taken possession of by the Federal troops. He was cap-
tured, released on parole, and confined to Iredell County,
N. C. In a short time thereafter he was again taken in

«

charge by a company of United States troops at Statesville,
N. C, and brought from there to the Old Capitol Prison,
in Washington, wherd he was confined for about three
months.

In November, 1870, Governor Vance was elected to the
United States Senate, but was unable to qualify because
his political disabilities had not been removed. He

JO Address of Air. Dubois of Idaho.

resigned his claim to a seat in the Senate in January, 1872.
In the same year he was again the Democratic nominee for
United States Senator, but was defeated by a combination
of bolting Democrats and Republicans, who elected the
late Judge Merrimon. In the mean time he practiced law
in Charlotte, N. C, with the Hon. Clement Dowd, with
whom he remained in partnership until 1876, when he was,
for the third time, nominated for governor of his State
and elected bv a large majority — the Republicans, up to
that time, having had control of the State government
from the close of the war. On March 18, 1879, Senator
Vance, having again been elected to the United States
Senate — this time to succeed Senator Merrimon— took his
seat in this Chamber and remained a member of this body
until the day of his death, April 14, 1894. His term of
service would not have expired until March 4, 1897.

No man, I believe, has ever enjoyed to a greater extent
the love and affection of the people of his State. It was
gentiine love and affection, and I was told that when the
news of his death was announced many men and women,
as well as children, all over his State, wept as if they had
lost a near and dear relative as well as friend. He appre-
ciated keenly the friendship of his peo])le and the many
honors they had conferred upon him, and was, in turn,
their true, loyal, and devoted friend and champion to his
last dying breath. No one of his constituents was too
humble to be accorded an interview at any time, and to be
rendered a service if it was in his power to aid or cheer
them.

The respect and devotion uniformly shown by the peo-
ple at his funeral was such as is rarely, if ever, accorded

Life and Character of Zebu/on Baird I'anct. 71

to a public man. Throngs of people lined the railroad
track all the way from Raleigh to Asheville. The night
before reaching Asheville was ideal, and peculiar to South-
ern climes. The moon was shining full, the air was
balmy, and most of us who composed the funeral escort
sat up until long past midnight. In the early hours of the
morning, as the train would whirl past a small station,
hundreds of people could be seen standing on the banks
near the track in solemn and reverent silence. They knew
the train would not stop, yet they had traveled many miles
in order to pay this last tribute of love to their departed
leader and friend. All with whom I came in contact said
that Senator Vance was regarded as a personal friend by
everyone.

I was particularly struck with a little incident that hap-
pened as the funeral train w; s passing through Durham,
N. C, where it stopped for a few moments, to allow the
citizens to vi-ew the remains. The crowd was so great that
it was with difficulty that people could reach the funeral
car ; in fact, many were not able to get there at all, and
among the latter was an old lady who was deeply disap-
pointed at being prevented from taking a last look at her
departed friend. She tried to console herself, however, by
showing to the crowd a twenty-five cent and a ten-cent sil-
ver piece which she had placed upon the track as the train
ran into the station. They were completely flattened out,
and she proposed to keep them as mementos. She said it
was all the money she had on earth.

Another touching incident occurred at Asheville, where
he was buried. The surviving soldiers of his old company
who went to the front with him when the late war broke

72 Address of Mr. Dubois of Idaho.

out attended the funeral in a body, or rather all of them
who were able. There was one who li\-ed many miles
from the city, and who, on account of bein>j a cripple from
wounds received, could not go to the grave. At the hour
for the last sad services to commence, however, he had
himself carried to the little building not far away, which
served both as country schoolhouse and church, and there
he solemnly tolled the bell as long as he thought the rites
were continuing.

Senator Vance could not bear unfriendly or strained
relations with any of his colleagues, and always found a
way to overcome them. It was my lot to run counter
to him during my early life in Congress. He bitterly
opposed the admission of Idaho to the Union, which I as
the Delegate was urging, and made a speech full of sar-
casm and ridicule adverse to our claims. His picture of
our citizens was a most severe arraignment. After Idaho
became a State, and my seat in the Senate was contested,
Senator Vance took the side of my opponent and earnestly
contended against the legality of my election. Several
months after the contest had been decided in my favor,
and when we were fighting on the same side in favor of
silver, he came to my seat one day and said: "Dubois,
I am willing to forgive you for everything I have done
against you and Idaho." From that time until his death
I had the honor and pleasure of his friendship and confi-
dence.

I believe that more than all else, if possible, he cherished
and prided himself upon the confidence his people had in
his integrity and honesty. He often spoke of it, and said
they knew "his hands were clean," and if he had made

Life and Character of Zebu/on Baini I 'ance. 73

mistakes they were mistakes of judgment, and not made
through dishonest motives.

His sense of humor remained with him to the last.
Twenty-four hours before he died he sent for his friend
and colleague. Senator Blackburn. Orders had been given
by his physician that he must not be excited by visitors.
"Joe," said Vance, "they say I must not see anyone, but
you won't hurt me, and you know I can't hurt you." In
that interview, which he knew was his last, he cheered his
friend with anecdotes and reminiscences, and sent kindly
words to his colleagues whom he was leaving.

74 Address of Mr. CJiandler of New Hampshire.

ADDRESS OF Mr, Chandler.

Mr. President: The tributes of affection -o^iven to the
memory- of Senator Vaxce when, on the 17th of April last,
we bore his remains to their last resting place, proved that
he was universally beloved by the people of the State ot
North Carolina, without distinction of party or of race.
Wherever the train halted crowds of friendly sympathizers,
with sad faces and kindly words, expressed their sense of
their loss of their Senator, whom all seemed to have known
as a friend, and whose fame all seemed to feel was a glory
to them and their Commonwealth.

Soutli and east we went to Raleigh; all business was
suspended and the whole region poured out its crowds to
take a last look at the form of their great citizen, soldier,
governor, and Senator, resting within the precincts of the
vState capitol. Not merely the governor and State officers,
but all the people; old and young, men, women, and chil-
dren, white and black, pressed through the portals to say
farewell to him they loved as a public man has seldom
been loved by those whom he has served.

Then we went westward toward the mountain home of
our departed friend. All the stations were thronged with
eager yet gentle mourners. At Durham, most melodious
voices, coming from men and women with black faces and
toil-worn hands, sang with touching pathos, "Father, we
rest in Thy love." At Greensboro the little station was
crowded with citizens, and the old Twenty-sixth Regiment

Life ami Characfcr of Zchiiloii Baird I 'aiicc. 75

Band of Salem-Winston, which had followed the fortunes
of war with tlieir chieftain, discoursed sacred music.

At last, on the morning of the iSth, we reached the
section where our friend was born. From the surround-
ing towns to Asheville came delegations; from Charlotte,
Hendersonville, Marion, Morganton, Winston, Salisbury,
and others whose names have passed from me. In remoter
places we learned that all labor had ceased; buildings were
draped; flags were half-masted, and commemorative serv-
ices were held. In Asheville the day was wholly given to
the burial of their beloved dead. It seemed as if every res-
ident came to see in death him whom they had known so
well in life. Masons, Odd Fellows, State militia. Confed-
erate veterans, local organizations of many names, were the
escort to and from the church. The school children, in
their beauty and freshness, lined the roadwa)-; and after
appropriate religious rites, in the beautiful cemetery at
Riverside, on the slopes of the valley of the noble French
Broad River — ashes to ashes, dust to dust — we committed
to mother earth, from which it sprung, the lifeless body of
him whose immortal soul had left its tenement of clay, and
who, even as we stood there mourning, was walking with
the angelic hosts in the streets of the New Jerusalem.

Mr. President, almost unqualified praise may be spoken
of the character of this son of North Carolina whom we
now commemorate. Born among the mountains which
are so surely the home of untamed freedom, he was self-
reliant and independent. He was a strong man naturally
and intellectuallv, and made himself a name and a fame as
a lawyer, as an orator, and as a statesman which gave him
a high place in the history of his State, and entitle him to

76 Address of Mr. Chandler of New Ha7iipshire.

manifestations of respect and honor from this Senate and
from tlie people of the United States.

As a public, speaker to large audiences he stood among
the foremost of his generation. He was gifted in tliat
great essential of a popular orator, a vivid imagination,
enabling him to freely illustrate his ideas and thus reit-
erate them to his auditors with great effect. His accurate
memory supplemented his imaginative powers, and with
his fine person and pleasing voice he early became the lead-
ing orator of his day in his State, and from the attract-
iveness and power of his speeches, in every part of that
widely extended Commonwealth, he came to be the most
familiar figure to her citizens of all her prominent char-
acters, admired, sought for, applauded, and beloved to a
height of personal popularity seldom reached by a public
man.

For his many-sided and superior abilities he is remem-
bered and mourned by his people. I love to think of him
as a tender friend. Possessed of a keen sense of humor,
without which life in this sad and mysterious state of
existence woiild be worth so little, and with geniality of
temper and manner, he was endeared to all his associates
in this body. They were always glad when he appeared;
they rejoiced in his companionship; his wit delighted
them without inflicting pain, and they parted from him
always with reluctance. I am thankful that I was allowed
the privilege of assisting in bearing his mortal frame to its
last resting place, and that I am now permitted to speak
even feeble and inadequate words of praise and affection
for the courteous gentleman, the good citizen, the faithful
husband and father, the eloquent orator and accomplished

Life and Character of Zehiiloii Baird I 'ance. "jj

Senator, abo\-e all, the gentle and loving friend, who has
gone before ns to the spirit land.

As we once more finally part in this world with or.e
whose joyous presence lately filled our sight and thoughts,
whom we can still see with eyes of mental vision, we
cling to faith in immortality. This life would be worth-
less, and a mockery of human hope, if there were not a
life beyond. Imperfection pervades every earthly posses-
sion and achievement. We can not even make an effort
to understand the purposes of the Maker of the universe if
this life is the whole of human existence. We can not
bring ourselves to believe in His goodness if the wrongs
of this life are not to be made right in a future state.
Without debating dogmas, we all hope, we all believe,
that somehow, somewhere, sorrow and sighing shall flee
away, all souls shall be saved, and permanent happiness
shall at last come to all the children of men. This faith,
whether kept secret or admitted, I believe abides in the
hearts of all. Mr. Fronde expresses what he says is a
universal feeling:

There seems, in the first place, to lie in all men, in proportion to the strength
of their understanding, a conviction that there is in all human things a real
order and purpose, notwithstanding the chaos in which at times they seem to be
involved. Suffering scattered blindly without remedial purpose or retributive
propriety; good and evil distributed with the most absolute disregard of moral
merit or demerit; enormous crimes perpetrated with impunity, or vengeance
when it comes falling not on the guilty, but the innocent, * * * these
phenomena present, generation after generation, the same perplexing and even
maddening features; and without an illogical but none the less a positive cer-
tainty that things are not as they seem; that, in spite of appearance, there is
justice at the heart of them, and that, in the working out of the vast drama, jus-
tice will assert somehow and somewhere its sovereign right and power, the
better sort of persons would find existence altogether unendurable.

The words of this great thinker and writer find an echo
in every thoughtful human soul. But faith prevails and

78 Address of Mr. Chandler of Nezv Hampshire.

hope springs eternal in the human breast. Tliere is an
existence beyond the present life where all shall be made
clear. We shall see as we are seen; we shall know even
as we are known.

Mr. Dickens made the poor idiotic Barnaby and the
coarse, strong Hugh of the Maypole Inn hold conversa-
tions about the wonders of the visible heavens; and they
inquire of each other whence comes the light of the in-
numerable stars that dot the skies. When they were both
under sentence of death, and, just before the dawn of day,
were led across the prison yard toward the place of exe-
cution, Barnaby, looking upward toward the myriad lights
of the night, exclaims —

Hugh, we shall know what makes the stars shine, now.

Our faith here to-day ought to exceed that of the poor
simpleton created by the imagination of the novelist.
Not only shall we know what makes the stars shine, but
all the wonders of the vast universe shall be open to our
search. Our homes shall be among the hea^'ens; the
problems that our burdened souls have studied so despair-
ingly shall be happily solved, and we may even become
participators in the knowledge and power of Him

Whose power o'er moving worlds presides,
Whose voice created and whose wisdom guides.

To this felicity the friend we now with tenderness
remember has already fully advanced. We would not, if
we could, bring him back to earth, slowly and painfully
to die again. We wait, reverently and hopefully, for the
summons to us to join him in some star that is shining,
from eternity to eternity, with unfading luster in God's
illimitable wilderness of worlds.

Lije and Character of Zebulon Baird Vance. 79

ADDRESS OF Mr. JARVIS.

Mr. President: I had not intended to speak on this oc-
casion, for the distinguished dead of whose virtues others
have spoken so justly and so feelingly was to nie more
like a brother than a friend. But in the last few hours
I have concluded to speak, and I now ask to add this
simple but sincere tribute to his memory.

Zebulon Baird Vance was born in Buncombe County,
N. C, on the 13th day of May, 1830, of a parentage noble
in all the elements that go to make up useful, patriotic
American citizens. His early life was spent on the farm
and in those pursuits incident to the home life of the
country people of those days. In his boyhood and early
manhood he sought and received the educational advan-
tages of the country school, the village academy, and t'.ie
university of his State. His first public service, I believe,
was as county solicitor, and he discharged the duties of the
office with conspicuous ability for one so young in years
and in the experience of the law.

In 1854 he was elected to the house of commons, as the
lower house of the legislature of North Carolina was then
called, and in that body he soon developed the fact that
he was a born leader of men. Upon the promotion of
the Hon. Thomas L. Clingman to a seat in the Senate
of the United States, Mr. Vance became a candidate to
fill the vacancy in the National House of Representatives
from the mountain district of North Carolina, and it was
in this contest that his immense popularity and strength

8o Acl(i7-ess of Mr. Jarvis of Nortli Carolina.

with the people were first developed. That district had
been long represented by ]\Ir. Clingnian, who was one of
the leading Democrats of the House, and upon his promo-
tion to the Senate the Democrats selected a strong man as
a candidate to fill the vacancy.

Mr. Vance, then full of humor, life, hope, and youth-
ful enthusiasm, entered the race against the Democratic
candidate and was triumphantly elected. At the succeed-
ing election for members of the House of Representatives
the Democrats nominated another strong man and made a
heroic effort to redeem the district, but Vance was again
triumphantly elected. The promise of his brilliant career
in the House of Representatives was cut short by the out-
break of hostilities between the two sections of his coun-
try. Up to this time he had been an ardent Union man,
but when the time came when it was manifest to him that
he must fight with or against his own people he threw
himself on the side of the South with all the energy for
which his ardent nature was so distinguished. He entered
the military service of his State and then of the Confeder-
acy, and soon became colonel of a regiment. But of his
military record I shallnot speak now, as I have done that
before another audience in this city.

In 1862 he was called b}' the soldiers and citizens of
North Carolina from the camp and the field to the respon-
sible office of governor of his State in a time of war and
great anxiety, to which office he was again elected in 1864.
In this great ofllice he exhibited executive capacit\- of a
high order. He did more. He .showed himself to be the
friend of the people. Although the coast of North Caro-
lina was blockaded and every port of entry not actually in

Life ami Cliaracter of Zclntion Baird I'aiice. 8i

the possession of the Union forces was closeh- watched by
Federal gunboats and ships of war. Governor Vanxe man-
aged to purchase in Europe for his State a swift-running
passenger steamer, wliich he caused to be converted into a
blockade runner, and with this ship running in and out at
Wihiiington, taking out cotton, tobacco, and the like, and
bringing in army, family, and hospital supplies, he cared
for the North Carolina soldiers in the field and their fami-
lies at home in a manner that won for him a high reputa-
tion as a governor and the lasting gratitude and loyalty of
the soldiers and people of his State.

God in His wisdom decreed that this great country
should be one. In its creation He made no great rivers or
chains of mountains running East or West, forming a nat-
ural division, and the heroism of the Lees and Jacksons,
and the Johnstons and Vances, and Gordons and Ransoms,
and the patient endurance of the soldiers who followed the
fiery cross could not make an artificial division and over-
turn the decrees of Him who doetli all things well. Tlie
end came, and with it a return of the soldiers to their
wasted fields and desolate homes. But they commenced
the work of rebuilding with the same heroic fortitude with
which they had followed the flag of the Confederacy in
camp and field.

Vance was arrested, imprisoned in the Old Capitol at
Washington, but was released after some months, and then
he, too, addressed himself to the great work of bringing
order out of chaos and prosperity out of poverty. Before
much had been done in that direction his State passed
through the bitter days and years of reconstruction, in
which he stood all the time for law and order and good
S Mis 151 6

82 Address of Mr. Jarvis of Xorth Carolina.

government. In the election of 1870 the Democrats car-
ried the legislature of his State, and when that body con-
vened Vance was elected to the United States Senate, but
the Senate declined to remove his disabilities or to admit
him to his seat in that body.

It was upon his return trip home after his futile effoi* to
get his disabilities removed that he is said to have made
the humorous but pointed reply to the two clergymen
who, sitting in the seat in front of him, were engaged in a
heated discussion of the doctrine of election. They were
not able to agree, and seeing that the gentleman behind
them seemed to be much interested in the discussion they
appealed to him for his opinion. To their in(|uir\- he
promptly replied : "My experience is that tlie election is
not worth much if your disabilities are not removed."

The Republicans had held the executive and judicial
departments of the State government of North Carolina
from Jul}', 1868, to 1876, and they did not intend to sur-
render these departments without a stubborn fight. They
nominated the Hon. Thomas Settle, their ablest man, for
governor, to lead their forces in the great campaign of
1876, and the Democrats nominated the idol of the peo-
ple. Hon. Zebulon B. V.\nce, to lead them. These two
giants, the idols of their respective parties, agreed upon
and conducted a joint canvass of the State, and for three
months they addressed in joint debate the greatest polit-
ical assemblages ever seen in North Carolina.

Thousands flocked to hear them ever\- day. Great cav-
alcades met them on the highway and escorted them to
the places of speaking. It was by far the most wonder-
ful political campaign ever seen in the State, and \'.\xcE

Life and Character of Zcbulon Baird I 'ancc. 83

created such enthusiasm among his followers that he was
swept into office by a majority of more than 13,000. He
was inaugurated governor of his State for the third time
on the 1st of January, 1877, but he onh- ser\-ed out half
of his term of four years. Being elected to the United
States Senate in January, 1879, he resigned the office of
governor to accept a seat in the Senate, and his successor
in the governor's office was inaugurated on the 5th day
of February, 1879. The reforms and plans which he
inaugurated during his two years of service as governor
for the development and upbuilding of his State were
pursued and carried out by his successor in office to the
great advantage of the people and the public interest.

He was reelected Senator in 1885 and again in 1891.
Of his ser\'ice in the Senate, of which the people of his
State are justly proud, I shall not speak. His colleagues
who served with him have lovingly done this. Thus we
see that he was twice elected to the lower House of Con-
gress, three times governor of his State, and four times
to the United States Senate. In these particulars, taken
together, he had an indorsement by the people of his State
never eiven to anv other North Carolinian.

Mr. President, I have thus far spoken of the public
services of this truly great man. I now beg to detain the
Senate a moment with a few observations on some of his
characteristics. C He was an intellectual giant, and could
have easily been in the foremost rank of any department of
life to which he devoted his time and attention. He gave
his life to the public service and to the people. His success
was their success; his glory, their glor}-. They shared
in all his trials and all his triumphs. No man in public

f7

84 Address of Mr. Jarvis of North Carolina.

life ever stood more steadfastly by the people and for the
people than did Zebulon B. Vance./

In his political creed he was boni a republican and a
democrat in the broadest and best sense of these terms.
He was a republican in that he believed in a republic.
He was a democrat in that lie believed in the people
ruling that republic. Mr. President, our impressions of
objects and men are often colored, if not controlled, by the
point of view from which we see or contemplate them. So
our conclusions are often biased, if not actualh- formed, by
the standpoint from which we approach the study of great
public questions. Vance always approached the study of
these questions from a safe and right standpoint, and he
always reached correct conclusions.

His starting point was plain and simple, but sure and
safe. It was from the standpoint of the people's interest.
He argued this is the people's Government. They are the
sovereigns, and those chosen to make or administer the law
are their servants. What is their interest in this matter?
was his inquir\-. That being determined, the wa>- was
easy and the path of duty plain. The people's good was
what he always aimed at. No power on earth could turn
him aside from that line of action. The people of his
State knew and appreciated his devotion to them and they
loved him for it. They were ever ready to follow where
he led. His God was their God; his ballot, their ballot.

Individual rights aud the majesty of the civil law never
had a warmer advocate or more steadfast friend in this
country than this great tribune of the people. I doubt if
there were many .States in the ITnion or the Confederacy
during the war in which the writ of habeas corpus, that

Life and CItaractcr of Zcbiiloit Baini I 'ancc. 85

great writ of the people's rights, could at all times be
promptly executed and obe)-ed. In most of the States
I presume men were arrested, imprisoned, detained, and
denied the benefits of this great writ, but it did not happen
in North Carolina.

Governor Vance, although ardently supporting the Con-
federacy, stood by the writ, even in the face of the army
itself, and upheld the majesty of the civil law. At no.
time in his whole public career was he ever known to
consent to the surrender of or encroachment upon any of
the individual rights of an American citizen, but he was
ever ready with tongue and pen to defend them from any
attack, no matter whence that attack came. He was truly
a student of the science of government, of politics, of the
history of the rise and progress of states, nations, and peo-
ples, and the more he learned and knew the more ardently
attached he became to republican America and her demo-
cratic institutions. It was here that the people had their
greatest opportunities and their highest aspirations. It
was his glory to stand by the people in all their struggles
and aspirations for broader opportunities and a higher and
better life.

As a writer, a humorist, and an orator he was in the
front rank of the foremost men of his day. But of these I
shall not speak. That work will best be performed by his
biographer. It was as a public servant and as a friend
that I knew him best, and it is of these that I have pre-
ferred to speak. Many circumstances brought us close
together, and I may be pardoned for saying that it is prob-
able that I had his confidence as fully and knew as much
of his inward life and labors and thoughts in the interest

86 Adih-ess of Mr. Jarz'is of North Carolina.

of the people and the public ser\-ice as any one of his
closest friends. I think he has talked freely with me
about every public question that has been of any concern
to the people of North Carolina since the close of the war,
and I desire here in my place in the Senate to say that I
never heard him discuss one of these questions in his own
interest. The only concern I ever knew him to have was
how to solve them in the true and best interest of the
people. He was always ready to assume any responsibility
or to undergo any labor which, in his opinion, could serve
the public interest.

In that section of the State where he was born and
where his body now rests there are many grand and lofty
mountains standing upon their eternal base and lifting
their heads into the very clouds. Some are three, some
four, some live, and some are more than six thousand feet
high. Any one of them serves as a guide to the traveler
and impresses him with its grandeur and greatness. But
there is one that towers high above them all. Mount
Mitchell stands out boldly as the great center of attraction,
and it is to this that people always turn when they wi.sh
to gaze upon the perfection and consummation of great
mountain scenery in all its magnificence and subliniit\-.

So in North Carolina we have had great men, any one
of whom was and is an honor to the State, and of whom
our people have been and still are justly proud; but it is
no disparagement to those to say that Zebuuon Baird
Vance was the Mount Mitchell of all our great men, and
that in the affections and love of the people he towered
above them all. As ages to come will not be able to mar
the grandeur and greatness of Mount Mitchell, so they will

Life and CJiaraclcr of Zclniloii Baird Wiiicc. 87

not be able to efface from tlie hearts and minds of the
people the name and memory of their belo\-ed Vance.

In the days of his toil and labors, when fatigne and
weariness came upon him, he was fond of retiring to his
native mountains, and there, beneath their shadows, he
found rest and restoration. When his life work was done
it was meet and jDroper that his body should be laid to rest
at the feet of these same mountains. Shall his body again
be restored? Is death an eternal sleep, or is it rest to the
body, which in God's own appointed time shall come forth
again, restored and reunited with the immortal soul?

This man was not too great to accept the teachings of
the Christian religion. He believed in the immortality of
the soul and in the resurrection of the body. He was a
great student of the Bible, and few were more conver-
sant with the Scriptures than he was. He obeyed its pre-
cepts and seized upon its promises. It was in this faith
that he passed from time to eternity. And oh, Mr. Presi-
dent, what a comfort it is to know that our friends die in
such a faith! How insignificant human greatness becomes
in the presence of death or any great manifestations of
divine power!

Man, isolated and alone, is but a tiny atom in the created
universe. In the busy bustle of life, with his friends and
fellows shouting his praise, man feels his importance and
his power ; bait let him stand out alone in the dread dark-
ness of night, when the heavens are black and angr)- or
when the earth quakes and trembles, and then how utterly
helpless and dependent he becomes! It is in such times as
these, as well as in the still more trying ordeal when he
enters alone, as he must do, the dark valley and shadow of

88 .-IMrt'ss of Mr. Jarz'is of Xorth Carolina.

death, that man is ready to acknowledge his nothingness
and to cry out to an invisible power for help.

Oh, what a blessing it is in an hour like that to feel that
He who created the worlds and controls all the forces of
nature has us in His keeping, and, like a loving father,
doth care for us and guide us! Our dead friend had that
blessing. While in the sunshine and vigor of life he com-
plied with the conditions set out in the Bible upon which
he could have the love and companionship of his Heavenly
Father when the storm came and Death claimed him as his
own. Shall we see him again? May God in His infinite
merc\' receive us with him into His Kingdom above.

Mr. Ransom. Mr. President, I beg leave to state that
it was the desire and purpose of the Senator from Connect-
icut [Mr. Hawle>-] and the Senator from Virginia [Mr.
Daniel] to speak in affectionate remembrance and honor
of Senator V.a.nce, but they were both called away un-
avoidably and could not be here.

Mr. Harris (Mr. Butler in the chair). As a further
mark of respect to the memory of the deceased, I move
that the Senate adjourn.

The motion was unanimously agreed to ; and the Senate
adjourned until Monday, January 21, 1895, at 12 o'clock m.

- Proceedings in the House.

April i6, 1894.

The House met at 12 o'clock m. The Chaplain, Rev.
E. B. Bagby, made the following prayer:

O Thou Great Disposer of all human events, with
whom are the issues of life and death, bow down Thine
ear and hear our supplications. We bring to Thee our
hearts, tender with sympathy for the sorrows of those who
mourn. How often of late, O Lord, have our ranks been
broken, and men in high places of authority and dear to
the hearts of the people have been called hence to give an
account of their stewardship ; and Death, with equal foot-
step, is knocking at the palace of the rich and the humble
cot of the poor ; and so Thou art teaching us the shortness
and uncertaint}- of human life. May we fix our affections
upon things above and not upon things on the earth ; and
as our bodies are frail and as our days are few may we live
as if there were but a step between us and death. And
when the end comes, O Lord, may we lie down in peace to
sleep, and upon the morning of the resurrection may we
awake in the light of Thy love and the joy of Thy pres-
ence and live with Thee forever, through Jesus Christ our
Lord. Amen.

89

go

Procci'diito-s in the House.

A message from the Senate, by Mr. Piatt, one of its
clerks, announced that the Senate had passed the follo\ving
resolutions:

Resolved, That the Senate has heard with great sorrow of the death of the
Hon. ZEBfLON B. V.\NXE, late a Senator from the State of North Carolina.

Resolved. That a committee of nine Senators be appointed by the Vice-Presi-
dent to take order for superintending the funeral of Mr. V.ANXE, which will take
place to-day in the Senate Chamber, at 4 o'clock p. m., and that the Senate will
attend the same.

Resolved, That as a further mark of respect entertained by the Senate for his
memory, his remains be removed from Washington to North Carolina in charge
of the Sergeant-at-Arms, and attended by the committee, who shall have ful'
power to carry this resolution into effect.

Resolved, That the Secretary communicate these proceedings to the House of
Representatives, and invite the House of Representatives to attend the funeral
to-dav, Monday, at 4 o'clock p. m., and to appoint a committee to act with the
committee of the Senate.

The message also announced that in compliance with the
foregoing the Vice-President had appointed as said com-
mittee Mr. Ransom, Mr. George, INIr. Gray, Mr. Blackburn,
Mr. Coke, Mr. Chandler, Mr. Dubois, Mr. White, and :\Ir.
Manderson.

The Speaker. The Clerk will report the resolutions of
the Senate.

The Clerk read the resolutions, as set forth in the abo\-e
message.

Mr. Henderson of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I offer
the resolutions which I send to the Clerk's desk.

The Clerk read as follows :

Resolved, That the House has heard with profound sorrow tlie announcement
of the death of Hon. Zebui.on B.mrd V.\Nf-i;. late a Senator from the State of
North Carolina.

Resolved, That the .Speaker of the House appoint a committee of nine mem-
bers, to act in conjunction witli tlie committee appointed by the Senate, to make
the necessary arrangements and to accompany the remains to the place of burial.

Resolved, That the House accept the invitation of the Senate to attend the
funeral this afternoon at 4 o'clock.

Proceedings in the House. 91

Resolved, That a recess be now taken until 3.45 p. m., at which hour the
House will proceed in a body to the Senate Chamber to attend the funeral, and at
the conclusion thereof, on return to its Chamber, the Speaker, as a further mark
of respect to the memory of the deceased, shall declare the House adjourned.

Resolved, That the Clerk of the House notify the Senate of the action of the
House.

ANNOUNCEMENT OF DEATH.

Mr. Henderson of North Carolina. 'Mr. Speaker, Zeb-
ULON Baird Vance, having finished his course on earth,
now rests from his labors in a better world. After having
done much good in his generation, he has been gathered
unto his fathers, and his lot will no longer be cast in this
vale of misery and tears.

Mr. Speaker, Zebulon Baird Vance was a very great
man, and was exceedingly beloved by the people of North
Carolina, and the whole State, now in mourning for him,
will long deeply and sincerely lament his loss.

This is not the time, however, for commemorating the
virtues and services of the departed. At some time in the
future the House will be asked to set apart a day on which
the friends of the deceased may pay proper tribute to his
individual worth and to his long, faithful, and distin-
guished public services. On this solemn and mournful
occasion my heart overflows with kindly feeling and ten-
derness for his bereaved widow and children, and for all
who are near and dear to them. They are indeed desolate
and oppressed. In this sad hour of their trial and afflic-
tion they have the comforting and heartfelt sympathy, not
only of the people of North Carolina, but of the whole
Union.

Mr. Speaker, I move the adoption of the resolutions
which have been read.

92 Proceedings in tlie House.

The resolutions were agreed to; and the Speaker ap-
pointed as the committee on the part of the House Mr.
Henderson of North Carolina, Mr. Black of Illinois, ^Ir.
Alexander, Mr. Brookshire, I\Ir. Crawford, Mr. Daniels,
IMr. Strong, Mr. Blair, and Mr. Houk.

And then, in accordance with the terms of the resolu-
tions, the House took a recess until 3.45 o'clock p. m.

The recess having expired, the House, at 3 o'clock and
45 minutes p. m., resumed its session.

The Speaker. The House will now attend the funeral
of the late Senator Vance in the Senate Chamber.

The House then proceeded in a body to the Senate
Chamber. At the conclusion of the funeral ceremonies
the House returned.

In accordance with the resolutions, and as a further
mark of respect to the dead Senator, the Speaker declared
the House adjourned.

MEMORIAL ADDRESSES.

February 23, 1895.
The Speaker. The Clerk will report the special order.
The Clerk read as follows:

Resolved, That Saturday, the 23d day of February next, beginning at 3 o'clock
p. m., be set apart for eulogies on the life and services of the late Zebulon B.
Van'ce, late a Senator from the State of North Carolina.

Mr. Henderson of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I offer
the resolutions which I send to the desk.
The resolutions were read, as follows:

Resolved, That the business of the House be now suspended that opportunity
may be given for tribute to the memory of Hon. Zebulon B. V.\n'ce, late a
Senator from the State of North Carloina.

Resolved, That as a further mark of respect to the mepiory of the deceased, and
in recognition of his eminent ability and illustrious public services, the House, at
the conclusion of these memorial services, shall adjourn.

Resolved, That the Clerk communicate these resolutions to the Senate.

Resolved, That the Clerk be instructed to send a copy of these resolutions to
the family of the deceased.

The resolutions were adopted.

93

94 Address of Mr. Henderson of Xorth Carolina.

ADDRESS OF Mr. HENDERSON OF NORTH CAROLINA.

Mr. Speaker: Zebulon Baird Vance was born in Bun-
combe County, N. C, May 13, 1830, and died in the city
of Washington, D. C, April 14, 1S94, being almost sixty-
four years old. He received a thorough English educa-
tion. He first entered Washington College, Tennessee,
and afterwards went to the University of North Carolina,
where he remained one year ; studied law, and was
admitted to the bar in January, 1S52, commencing the
practice at Asheville, the county seat of his native countw
In the same year he was elected county attorney of Bun-
combe County ; was elected a member of the State house
of commons in 1854 ; was elected a Representative to the
Thirty-fifth Congress in 1858 as a State Rights American,
succeeding to the vacancy created by the resignation of the
Hon. Thomas L. Clingman upon the latter' s election to
the United States Senate ; was also a Representati\-e in the
Thirty-sixth Congress.

His service in Congress began December 7, 1858, and
ended March 3, 1S61. He entered the Confederate army as
captain in May, 1861, and became colonel of the Twenty-
sixth Regiment North Carolina Infantry in August, 1S61.
He was elected governor of North Carolina in August,
1862, and reelected in August, 1864. At the close of the
war he was arrested by a company of Federal troops
and confined in the Old Capitol Prison for a few weeks.
Shortly after the war he removed to Charlotte and entered
u]Km the active practice of the law; was elected to the

Life and Character of Zcbiilon Baird ]'ance. 95

United States Senate in November, 1870, bnt, being
denied admission upon the ground that his political dis-
abilities had not been removed, he resigned in January,
1872. In the same year he was again the Democratic
nominee for United States Senator, but was not elected by
the general assembly ; was elected governor of North Caro-
lina for the tliird time in 1876, and in January, 1879, was
elected to the United States Senate ; was reelected in Jan-
uary, 1885, and again reelected in January, 1891. He died
in peace and in the full possession of all his faculties, at
his residence in the city of Washington, 1627 Massachu-
setts avenue, on April 14, 1894.

Of him it may be said, as King David said unto his serv-
ants when announcing the death of Abner:

There is -^ * ^ ^ great man fallen * * * in Israel.

He was indeed great intellectually and morally, and I do
not believe there was ever a time during the whole period
of his career when he was not conscious of his own great
powers and qualities; but he was entirely free from any
peculiar egotism or individual self-esteem. He was one
of the most lovable of men, and if he was never at a loss
to hold decided opinions of his own and to express them
clearly and courageously, he always did so with humility
and modesty. He had a giant's strength, but the softness,
simplicity, and heart of a child. At school and at college
he was recognized by teachers and students alike as one
who had the promise of a brilliant future.

He was a ready, humorous, and fluent sj^eaker, and a
bright and witty conversationalist; and before he left col-
lege he acquired a reputation for genius and originality.
His popularity everywhere and at all times was a matter of

g6 Address of Mr. Henderson of Xorth Carolina.

course and something phenomenal, in school, in college,
in the legislature, in the army, as governor of the State, as
a private citizen, and in Congress. Like the Che\-alier
Bayard, he may be said to have been, in most phases of
his character, a man "without fear and without reproach."
Before the war began in 1861 he had served one term in
the State legislature and two terms in the United States
House of Representatives, and in both of these assemblies
he achieved distinction and took high rank. Although a
strong believer in State rights, he did not originally favor
the withdrawal of the Southern States from the Union.

When war was inevitable he cast his lot with his State
and went to the front in the defense of the people of North
Carolina and of the Southern States; and the Confederate
States never had a more faithful or loyal friend and sup-
porter. It was not his fortune to serve long in the army,
but he was a brave officer and soldier, and at the battle of
Newbern he displayed skill and capacity as an officer and
was conspicuous for his gallantry and courageous conduct
on the field, and for services in that battle he was highly
commended by his superiors in command.

During the four years of the war — the times that tried
men's souls — he was equal to every occasion and emer-
gency. Until he was elected governor of the State in
1862 he served ih the field, sharing all the privations of
the soldiers of his command with the same endurance,
courage, and patience which pertained to the lot of the
private soldier and with an alacrity and hopefulness born
of true devotion to the Confederate cause. As governor of
the State he showed him.self at his best, and no American
Commonwealth during the exciting and troublous period

Lijc and Cliaraclcr of Zcbuloii Baird I 'ancc. 97

of the war liad a wiser, more successful, or more capable
executi\e. He built up aud husbanded in a reuiarkable
and most skillful wa>- all the resources of the vState. No
State furnished as many soldiers in proportion to popula-
tion to the Confederate cause as North Carolina, and no
soldiers of any State were better, braver, or more patriotic.
Governor Vance was a splendid organizer. His block-
ade runners enabled him to export cotton aud other prod-
xicts of the State to lyiverpool and other European ports
and to receive in exchange many necessary supplies for the
use of the soldiers and people of North Carolina. There
was dire distress in the State. Not only was there suffer-
ing among- the soldiers, but star\-ation threatened many a
household at home. The widows and orphans were pro-
vided for, and, as far as was possible, all who were in dis-
tress. Governor Vance did ever\'thing in his power to
make comfortable provision for the Federal prisoners con-
lined at Salisbury. In ever)- count>- in the State relief
committees were organized to help and succor the poor and
needy. The noble women of North Carolina, with patri-
otic devotion and genuine enthusiasm, responded to his
ever>- appeal. They ministered to the necessities of the
sick and suffering, the wounded and dying. The}- clothed
and fed the soldiers of the army and the destitute at home.
If doing good is the great wa}- of enriching character, how
great must their reward be! Their works do follow them!
These good and lovely women did not expect payment in
this world for their deeds of kindness and charity. Their
citizenship and reward is in Heaven beyond the skies!
"Heaven-born charity," it has been beautifully said, "is
the sovereign antidote for all the ills of womanhood."

S Mis 151 7

98 Address of Mr. Ihndcrson of North Carolina.

At the close of the war the name of Vance was very
dear to the people of North Carolina, and their love and
esteem for him continued to the ver\- last. Alen, women,
and children all admired and revered him, and the people
of the State gave the most genuine proofs of their attach-
ment and love for him. In 1876 they elected him governor
for the third time, and the general assembly four times
elected him United States Senator. I had the honor and
privilege, as a member of the State senate, to vote for Go\--
ernor Vance for United States Senator at the time of his
election by the general assembly in January, 1879.

If Senator Vance was not distinguished as a lawyer it
was because he did not practice long enough to build up
a great reputation, but he was certainly an accomplished
forensic speaker and a splendid advocate at the bar. Until
after he entered the Senate he had no reputation as a stu-
dent. His Senatorial career commenced ^Marcli 4, 1879,
and thereafter he became a constant and faithful student of
the tariff, of finance, and other economic questions, and he
wrote and spoke much on all these subjects. He was a
good writer and a charming speaker. On the hustings he
liad few equals anywhere, and in the Senate he was alwa\s
heard with attention and respect. He was a great debater,
and had an easy command of the English language. At
times he was eloquent, and he was always humorous,
instructive, and entertaining. He had an interesting and
inexhaustible fund of anecdote, and when he could not
demolish his antagonist by argument he effectiveh- turned
upon him the weapons of irony, iuvecti\'e, and ridicule.
He did not indulge in the flowers of oratory, but very few
men excelled him in accuracy of speech or in strength of
expression.

Life and Cliciractcr of Zebuloii Baii-d I 'ancc. 90

His Senatorial colleagues admired and esteemed jiim
gTeatly; and the tributes recently paid to his memory in
the other House are marvels of eloquence and accuracy of
judgment, and indicate a ver>- keen insight into his charac-
ter. Senator Blackburn, of Kentucky, said that "never
in all his life did he hear the virtues, the merits, and worth
of a man more eloquenth- portrayed, more fairly and truth-
fully put" than by Senator Ransom in the Senate. Sena-
tor V.\NCE was a statesman of spotless integrity, and no
country ever had a truer patriot. He was the friend of
education, religion, and learning. Among his contem-
poraries he held a foremost rank in fame and merit. He
was ever the friend of the people, especially the humble,
the needy, and the oppressed.

Like Daniel Webster, he believed the Government of the
United States to be the people's Government, made for the
people, made by the people, and answerable to the people.
And I say it reverenth', "The common people heard him
gladly." And while it may be truthfully said of him, as
has been said of another great man, that "he was abso-
lutely without fear, as he was above self-seeking and cor-
ruption," it must nevertheless be admitted that Senator
Vance was sometimes timid when he found the wishes
of any large number of his constituents to be in opposition
to his own views. He was loath to oppose a great popu-
lar movement. He thought the popular judgment to be
oftener right than wrong. He therefore deferred to the
wishes of the people until he was convinced that they were
wrong. He considered it the duty of every public man to
endeavor " to keep in touch with the people." We have a
great country, but who made it great but the people?
Trained and reared in another school of politics, Senator

icx) Address of Mr. Henderson of North Carol i>ia.

Vance became by clioice, study, and conviction, before he
reached the middle of life, a Jeffersonian Democrat, and
thenceforward he adhered to and upheld with ever-increas-
ing- sincerity and devotion what he believed to be the
ancient creeds and true principles of the Democratic party.
He knew he was not, and he did not believe auN- man
was, great enough to be above his party. He lo\-ed the
applause of the public and he was sincerely grateful for the
honors that the people showered upon him. If it be true —
and who doubts it? — that —

The heavenliest lot th.it earthly natures know
Is to be affluent in gratitude —

he had indeed that blessing, for no man appreciated more
or felt any more thankful for the favors of the people than
himself. And that is one reason wh}- his memory is so
fragrant and his name so full of good cheer to the people
of his State, who loved him so well. Their memor\- and
meditation of him shall indeed be sweet !

Senator Vance was truthful and sincere, open and can-
did to friend and foe alike. He knew full Avell that the
people in trusting him did so because they had the utmost
faith and confidence in his integrity and uprightness, and
because they knew that the principles which guided him
in his conduct through life would make him be to them
a sincere and trustworthy counselor and friend. 1 can
not find words better fitted to describe vSenator Vance'S
character than in the following extract from the writings
of Dean Stanley:

Give us a man, young or oM, liigh i.r low, on whom we know we can thor-
oughly depend — who will stand linn when others fail — the friend, faithful ami
true; the adviser, honest and fearless; the adversary, just and chivalnnis.

Senator V.\nce was twice married. When a },<)ung man
he was united in holy matrimouy to Miss Harriet Newell

Life and CJiaractcr of Zcbitlou Paird \ aiicc. loi

Espey, of North Carolina, a lady of many intellectual gifts,
of intense religious faith and convictions, a lovely Chris-
tian character, devouth' given to all good works. They
lived verv happily together. Her influence over her hus-
band was remarkable and permanent. They had four
children, all sous, three of whom are still living. Her
name is written in the book of life!

Senator V.^nxe had an abiding faith and a genuine
belief in the truths of the Christian religion, but he was
not the slave of education or prejudice. His views allowed
for a wide latitude of theological opinion and individual
liberty and tolerance. It is hard to admit the world inside
a sacred precinct of the heart. The little tender traits of
beauty, which we can not always expect the world to
appreciate, are usually kept back and withheld. I had a
conversation with him a number of years ago in regard to
some controverted points of Christian faith and practice.
He told me that he thought all Christians of whatever
name were agreed upon the essential articles and creeds,
and that too much stress was laid upon their theological
differences, many of which were either unimportant, imma-
terial, or at least not vital. He impressed me at the time
as one who had universal charit\- and tolerance toward
those differing from him in religious opinions. He would
have been perfectly consistent in saying of all faithful
Christian people :

They are brothers and comrades ; they stand side liy side.
Their faith and their liope is the same.

It is reported that he once said to a dear friend of his :
"You believe in the doctrine of falling from grace, but
never fall; while I do not believe in that doctrine and am
always falling."

I02 Address of Mr. Henderson of North Carolina.

One of the most popular and brilliant lectures he ever
wrote was upon "The Scattered Nation" — God's ancient
and chosen people. He delivered it many times; and I
suppose that no other Christian man in America was ever
as much loved and admired by the children of Israel as
Senator Vance. They gave him their heart, their confi-
dence and friendship, and he had an ever-ready welcome to
their homes. The name of Vance is exceedingly precious
to every Jew and is a household word in every Jewish circle
in the United States.

Senator V.ance was not without his faults. He was sub-
ject to human infirmities and frailties, for there is no man,
not a just man upon earth, that doeth good and sinneth
not, but this is no reason why his friends should not praise
his goodness and virtues and seek to follow his good
example.

"Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap."

"If he sows poppies, he will get gaudy flowers; but
what will he do when the harvest comes and he is hungry
for bread?"

Senator Vance was married, in June, 1880, to Mr.s. Flor-
ence Steele Martin, of Kentucky, a lady of rare personal
attractions, elegant in manners, lively and brilliant in ctm-
versation, exceedingly graceful, attractive, and intelligent,
with literary talents and tastes of a high order; a refined,
devoutly religious, and highly cultured womaji. She was
to her husband not only a devoted, dutiful wife, but a
faithful friend and com])anion. .She was the solace and
comfort of his declining years. One of the best women 1
ever knew — she is now at rest — once told me that to know
Mrs. Vance intimately and to associate with her often in
her own home was equal to a liberal education.

Life and Character of Zebnloii Baird I'amc. 103

Comparisons are said to be odious, and I will not under-
take to say that Senator \'ance was greater than any of
his contemporaries. History- will do him justice and will
faithfulh' portray his character and life's work. His name
will assuredh- fill an enviable space on the historic page of
his State and country. His character was unique and origi-
nal. He was a man of genius, with extraordinary abilities
and talents. In many respects he was without a peer. No
man ever lived who was nearer and dearer to the hearts of
the people of North Carolina. He was taken away at the
very moment when his State and his country needed him
most, and when he might have been expected to enter
upon a greatly enlarged sphere of usefulness and honor.
Mr. Gladstone had been elected to Parliament before Sena-
tor Vance was born, and that great statesman is still living,
in the full possession of all his powers and influence.
What a reminder of the shortness, variableness, and uncer-
tainty of human life! None of us can be made to realize
this suflSciently. We are constantly reminded, and espe-
cially on these solemn occasions, that ' ' man that is born
of a woman hath a short time to live, and is full of misery,"
and that " in the midst of life we are in death."

Great men die, the land mourns, and for a short time
death is a reality to us; but we go on in our course as if
we expected an exception to be made in some way in our
own favor. Friends die, and, in a certain sense, we realize
the hollowness of all things earthly; but we miconsciously
ask ourselves whether a time shall really come when
we ourselves must join the innumerable hosts of those
who live beyond the grave. Knowing our own littleness
and weakness, the shortness of life and the certainty of
death, it needs no argument and requires no effort for us to

I04 A/Mress of Mr. Henderson of Xortli Carolina.

conclude that the greatest man who ever lived on earth
is in comparison with God as a "vain shadow," and that
"every man living is altogether vanity." A great French
preacher once expressed this feeling when preaching the
fnneral sermon over "the Grand Monarqne of France. "
Looking aronnd the church, which was draped in black
for the solemn occasion, and then down on the corpse
which was lying in state, Massillon commenced his ser-
mon in these words: "God alone is great." Eternity,
then, must be our final refuge and resting place.

O great Eternity !

Our little life is but a gust
Which bends the branches of thy tree

Anil trails its blossoms in the dust.

We must therefore learn to labor now, in this transitory
life, before all our days are gone, bearing and forbearing,
doing and suffering, for when a "few years are come,"
after life's short journey is over and we bring our years to
an end, we "shall sleep a perpetual sleep, and not wake"
again in this world.

Ucalh ! the unknown sea of rest ! Who knows what hidden harmonies lie
there to wrap us in softness, in eternal peace ; and in death, not sooner or other
wise, all the hot longings of the soul are to be satisfied and stilled.

God alone can satify the desires and aspirations of the
human heart. True greatness, then, is the eternal reward
given for a life of moral and spiritual excellence.

"O God," says Augustine, " Thou hast made the heart
of man for Thy.self, and it is restless until it rests in
Thee."

Senator Vance received coimtless tokens of good will
in his life from all sorts and conditions of men. Nearly
everyone who knew him spoke well of him, and his friends
rejoiced to have it so. And that it should have been so

Life and C/iaiactcr of Zcbiilon F.aii-d I 'aiicc. 105

does honor to those who gave him honor. Neitlier lie nor
his friends knew, however, liow deep-seated and universal
was the love and admiration for him of the people of his
native State until after death had laid its hand upon him.
The news of his decease was received everywhere through-
out the State of North Carolina with the most heartfelt
expressions of sorrow and sj'mpathy. The whole popu-
lation, without distinction of party, race, or sect, vied
with each other in their expressions of regret for his death
and in showing respect for his memory. Women and chil-
dren shed tears, and strong men wept. His loss is an
irreparable one to his family, his party, and his State,
and his name will ever be remembered with gratitude and
honor by the people of his State, whom he served so well.
Zebui^on Baird Vance has departed hence in peace.

All untlaunted he dietl
In the might of his pride.

May we not humbly hope and believe that he is now
in that unseen world "where the spirits and souls of
the faithful, after they are delivered from the burden of the
flesh, are in joy and felicity " ?

The Lord grant unto him that he may find mercy of the
Lord in the last great day! And give unto him eternal
rest, and let light perpetual shine upon him!

io6 Address of Mr. Hoidcrson of loiva.

Address of Mr. Henderson of Iowa.

Mr. Speaker: As one who was in the Union Army,
standing by the grave of one who was in the Confeder-
ate army, I approach a new experience, but not with any
hesitation or feelings other than my best judgment and
my whole heart can commend, and I bear witness to-day
to the character of a departed statesman, and, though
brief and limited my acquaintance, I can truthfully say, a
respected and honored friend.

I find pleasure, as I study the life of the departed states^
man, in calling attention to his wonderful power as his
keen vision swept over the horizon when he stood in 1861
contemplating the future of his countiy. He was a strong
and ardent lover of this Union, and here let me quote a
distinguished witness. His .own colleague, Senator Ran-
som, speaking of him in another place after his death,
said :

He liad always been opposed to the secession of the .Southern .States, did
everything possible to avert it, and was one of the very last Southern men to
declare his love and devotion to the Union.

I will not content myself with this single witness, but
will quote also, on the same theme, the venerable and ex-
alted statesman, Senator Morrill. They served together
on this floor, and Senator Morrill .says:

In an era when our whole country appeared to be rumbling with invisible
earthquakes and hissing with the or.atorical skyrockets of secession, he served
for four years, or until 1861, and, so far as I remember, contributed nolhing to
our or to the national unpleasantness.

Life and Character of Zcbulou Baird I'ancc. 107

I will quote still another clistin<juished witness on tliis
subject. The venerable Senator Sherman says:

There can be no doubt that at the beginning of the civil war Governor Vance
was conspicuous at home, as well as here, as an ardent, outspoken Union man,
but he also loved his State and his people among whom he liad been born and
bred, and when they were swept away by the torrent of opinion in the belief
that it was their duty to secede from the Union, he went with them.

Looking over this record and speaking to-day by his
freshly made grave, I would not occupy the mean position
of being generous; I only ask for light and manliness to
be just. This man came of Revolutionary blood. The
inspiration that followed the flag of Washington never
ceased to permeate his great and mighty heart, and in
1861 he stood like a bulwark against the waves that were
beating against his countr\-. Who will rise and criticise
him when he yielded to the press of public opinion that
was around him?

He can not be a just man who will not fairly interpret
the mental conditions then existing throughout the South,
and he would be an unwise and an unjust one who would
condemn the impetuous youth who finally yielded to the
wave of sentiment and enrolled himself under the flag of
secession. But through that whole experience — for he was
captain, colonel, and governor of his State during that
period — lie not only proved himself to be brave and able,
but his big heart never ceased to throb for his fellow-man.

Qualified witnesses tell us that when Union i^risoners
were suffering in Salisbury this war governor of North
Carolina appealed to the Southern Confederacy to send
relief to those prisoners, and when that appeal was
unheard he turned to the citizens of his own State and
asked North Carolina to con:e to their aid. At the close

io8 Address of Mr. Hcndcrso)i of Imva.

of the war, that wonderful war, Secretary Stanton sent
orders to the general commanding North Carolina to arrest
Governor Vance and bring him to Washington, with all
his papers. It was done. Copy books containing every
letter he had written as governor during the war were
spread before the great Stanton, one whose heart did not
quiver when duty called him to be severe. The record
was examined, and here is the testimony which I present
upon the authority of Senator Blackburn :

When he did read that record and saw what this man had done, how persistent
his efforts had been to ameliorate the condition of the Federal prisoners and to
assuage the horrors of war, that great Secretary said to him : " Upon your record
you stand acquitted ; you are at liberty to go where you please."

It is an honor to point with a few brief words this lesson
to my fellow-countrymen. He had that greatness which
can not be dimmed by any clouds or any revolutions.

He was a great orator. But, ]Mr. Speaker, his greatest
oratorical power spoke through his gentle and noble life.
In his pathway as a public man and as a citizen he deliv-
ered orations which, in House or Senate, his lips never
equaled. As an orator he had the wonderful gift of mak-
ing everything that he spoke of so plain and simple that
all around him understood every thought. He did not
send his thoughts above the masses who listened to him.
He had the genius of Lincoln in that regard, of simplify-
ing. .\nd so it was in his life and conduct with his fellow-
men. He was so approachable that he was constantly in
close contact with the mas.ses and drew the inspirations
which alone can come from what Mr. Lincoln called "the
common people." No man feared to approach Senator
V.\N"CK with his troubles or his joys or his ambitions, and
he listened to them all so attcntivelv and kindlv that he

Life and Character of Zebu Ion Baird I'aiice. 109

arrived at the full status of the man's mind and affairs,
and was thus equipped to serve him.

Promotion never warped his genius or destroyed his
power. Ah ! how often do we see a man in private life
free and easy with his fellow-man, stopping to speak with
the man carrying the dinner pail or with the humblest
citizen, laughing and talking and shaking hands as one
of the people, and then, when subsequently promoted to
power, he buttons up his coat, wears a "heaven-erected
face," as Burns would ptit it, and fancies that God has
dropped a peculiar ointment upon him to lift him and
make him better than his fellow-men.

These men fail in their usefulness in public life. They
do not hear the heart beat or the sigh of sorrow. This
distinguished man never made that mistake. In his every-
day walks of life he was as simple as a Senator as he was
as a private citizen or a member of his State legislature.

He was a wit. He carried that sharp and dangerous
blade; but he seldom unsheathed it, indulging rather in
the warm glow of hirmor which turns even enemies into
friends.

I met him first, to take his hand, when we were attend-
ing a meeting of the Sons of the Revolution in this city.
And when he sat down, after describing and eloquently
touching on some of the scenes of the past, he sat down
with me as his brother and his friend. The thought
flashed through my mind, if this was a Confederate soldier
the Confederacy is truly gone, and we are sure of a perma-
nent, loved, and indissoluble Union.

He was brave, honest, kind, true; and above all he was
faithful to his friends. He did not accept the hard toil

no Add}-css of Mr. Henderson of Iowa.

and devotion of friends, and then, when elevated to power,
seek to dicker witli liis enemies at tlie expense of his
friends. He was true to friendship, and at the same time
true to his highest duty as a public man.

Weighted not with years, but with many honors, cares,
and duties well done, he has passed away. No noble heart
rejoices over this grave, but sorrow springs up in every
generous soul because this great and good man has passed
from our midst.

Life and Character of Zcbitlo>i Baird I'aucc. iii

Address of Mr. Hooker of Mississippi.

Mr. Speaker: It was my privilege, and my honor too,
to call Senator Vanck my friend and to know him with
a great deal of intimacy, springing up during our Con-
gressional services. And while I have not written an ad-
dress for this occasion, I was gratified when one of the
members of the North Carolina delegation came to me
and said thev desired that I should sav somethine on this
occasion.

It has become a thing almost to be regretted that eulo-
gies upon members of the Congress of the United States,
whether they belong to the Senate or the House, are
not delivered immediately after the demise of the mem-
ber; but as they are designed rather for posterit\- than for
ourselves, and to put upon record a lasting impression of
the opinions of those who have served with the deceased,
and to commit to the printing press the power of perpetu-
ating that record forever, it is probably not altogether
improper that some time and some reflection should be
given to what is to be said. So, as I am prompted rather
by my heart than my head to speak on this occasion in
memory of the friend whom I so honored while he lived,
and whom the country so honored while he lived, I must
apologize for the want of that thorough presentation of
Senator Vance's historical record which will come more
appropriately from the members from his own loved State
of North Carolina.

112 Address of Mr. Hooker of Afississippi.

Senator \'axce was born in Buncombe County, X. C,
on the 13th of May, 1830. He was born in a region of
country marked for its geographical beauty, its magnifi-
cence, and its sublimity. It borders upon ni)' own native
State of South Carolina ; and of all the mountain scenery
of our cotintry, whether in the Blue Ridge, or the Alle-
ofhanies, or the Rockies, or the Sierra Nevada looking out
upon the Pacific, there is no sublimer scenery in our land
than that in the midst of which Zebulon B. \'axce was
born. I have always held to the idea that men partake
somewhat of the region of country in which their e\'es
first look upon the light ; and those of us who have seen
that beautiful countr\' and stood in its valleys witli car-
pets made by the hand of the Master, and have looked up
into those lofty mountains, sometimes glassed in sun-
shine, sometimes covered with shadow, and sometimes the
home of the storm god, will cease to wonder that a land so
favored b\- nature should have produced heroes among her
men and heroines among her women.

It is of all favored portions of our country probably the
grandest and most beautiful. And it was here, amidst that
rural population, that \'.\N'CE was reared and took his
first imjiressions. He grew up amongst a simple-hearted
Scotch and Irish ancestry, who, coming to this country,
found the quiet nooks of the mountains analogous to their
own native soil, and therefore made in that region their
settlement. He grew up witli that wonderful veneration
for the DivinitN' which belongs to those Scotch-Irish peo-
ple. Simple in their habits, unostentatious in their man-
ners, the\' grew up amidst those mountains, cherishing the
virtues of the countr}' froni which tl ey came and lending

Life and Omractcr of Zebu Ion Baird J 'mice. 113

a hand promptly in the Revolutionary war to give perma-
nency to the liberties of their people. When that war
closed a material development as remarkable as that of the
countries from which they came marked the regions of
North Carolina in which his Revolutionary ancestry lived.

Senator \'ance was early distinguished in the history
of his own State, being elected twice to its legislature and
twice to this House before the war, and after the war he
was elected to the Senate of the United vStates in 1S70.
He came here at that time ; but, unfortunately for him,
what were called his "civil disabilities" had not been
removed by an act of Congress of the United States, and
he was therefore denied admission to his seat as a Senator.
He returned to the State of North Carolina, and, thinking
it probable that he might not be admitted to his seat, he
resigned his commission as a United States Senator in
1872, and went back to live among the people whom he
loved so well and who were so delighted to honor him.
But it was not the fate of such a man, with such a mind
and heart, to be left to follow the quiet walks of private
life.

He was soon again elected to the Senate of the United
States, his civil disabilities having been in the meantime
removed, and was admitted to the Senate. When he
took his position in that body as a Senator there were
giants there — men of great minds, of long and large ex-
perience. Yet this gifted son of North Carolina took his
place from the first in the front rank of the debaters of
that great debating body of the world. His distinguished
abilities being promptly recognized, he was assigned to
important committees ; and he performed his Senatorial

S Mis 151 S

1 14 .Iddrcss of ^fr. Hooker of J/ississippi.

functions in such a way as to challenge the admiration of
his associates on all sides of that Chamber.

It was gratifying to me, in looking over the record of
his obsequies in that bod}-, to find that it was not alone
from his own people that he received words of commenda-
tion. His gifted colleague, that man of splendid talent
and magnificent oratory, that chevalier of the South,
whether on the field of battle or in the halls of Congress —
his gifted colleague, Senator Ransom, said one thing of
him which almost summarized the history of his life. In
delivering the eulogy upon his gifted colleague Senator
Ransom said:

He was Ijuld, brave, open, candid, and without reserve. He desired all the
world to know his opinions and positions, and never hesitated to avow them.

Alongside of him sat that able and venerable Senator
from \'ermont, Justin S. ]\Iorrill, the oldest surviving
Senator of the United States when I first came to Con-
gress and the oldest living Senator now. His tribute was
magnificent. Side by side with him there sat that splendid
statesman of intellect and thorough knowledge of politi-
cal questions, of astute powers of investigation, who him-
self had made a great name for himself, John Sherman,
the senior Senator from Ohio, who delivered a eulogy on
that occasion of which any man or an\- State might well
be proud. I mention these, 'Sir. Speaker, because of the
differences of political opinion existing between them and
the deceased Senator.

Senator Vanck was again elected to the Senate of the
United States, as I have said, and died while occupying the
honored position t(.) which his people delighted to assign
him. It has been remarked by my distinguished friend

Life and Character of Zchitloii /laird J'aiice. 115

from Iowa [;\Ir. Henderson], who has just addressed the
House in commemoration of Senator Vance, that he was
a Union man at the outbreak of the war and was opposed
to the secession of the States. That, ^Ir. Speaker, is true.
He took his position in the early discussions of this ques-
tion side by side with such men as William L. Sharkey, of
my own State, who opposed secession because he believed
that the differences between the States could be better set-
tled by arbitration, by prudence, by judgment, and h\- for-
bearance rather than by resorting to the last great final
arbiter among men, the sword. And he defended that posi-
tion with an earnestness and zeaU and truthfulness — for
he always avowed what he thought fearlessly — that the
remedies of the Southern States and the Southern people
were within the Union and under the Constitution. But
when his State of North Carolina seceded from the Union,
believing his dut>- was to go with her, with that patriotism
and devotion to his people which always characterized
him, he at once raised a company of troops, was elected as
captain, and within a short time afterwards was chosen
colonel of the Twent\--sixth Regiment of North Carolina
troops. On every field of battle where he was present he
earned for himself the reputation not only of a sagacious,
intelligent, and brave soldier, but the character of one who
knew how to care for the troops under his command.

But he was a man of too large ability in civil life to be
permitted to spend his time during the war in battle, and
it was during the war that he was elected governor of his
own State of North Carolina, and elected a second tiuie
while the war was still progressing; and it was in this
capacity that his great executive ability and wonderful

ii6 Address of Mr. Hooker of Mississippi.

devotion to the troops that entered the service of the Con-
federacy were manifested. When he had called again and
again upon the Confederate Government for arms and
snpplies, food and clothing, to snpph- the troops that he
had called out in the field from hi.s own State and b}- his
ovv'n proclamations, and found he could not rely upon
them to furnish those things so necessary for their comfort,
he equipped a small fleet of vessels, sent them down the
river, out into the ocean and to the river Clyde, and there
procured a suitable outfit for the Confederate troops from
the State of North Carolina.

That flotilla of small vessels came back, and, success-
fully running the blockade of the Federal ships, not only-
provided for the wants of the North Carolina troops, but
many of the other troops in the service of the Confederacy,
thus showing that he felt it to be his duty, after he called
the men into active service, to see that they were not only
properlv armed and equipped, but properh- fed and clothed
as well.

It was in this capacity, Air. Speaker, that he won for
himself the title which has been yielded to no other man
in the history of the Confederacy, that he was the "war
governor" of the State of North Carolina, and not only
the war governor of that State, but the great war governor
of the South. He served in this capacit\- three times, and
was tlience transferred to the Senate of the United States,
as I have already said. When any question came up for
discussion in that body, and usually no question referring
to the subject of taxation and the tariff laws was pre-
sented that he did not speak tipon, he evinced a clearness
of thought, a soundness of judgment, ami a thoroughness

Life and CJiaracfcr of Zehulon Baird I'aiicc. 117

of investigation that challenged admiration on all sides of
the Chamber.

His character was distinguished from the very start in
his public life, and it is a remarkable fact that there was no
error at an>' time committed by him that the historian can
point to in his career as a governor, as a Senator, as a sol-
dier, or as a citizen. As a governor he was without a
peer; as a citizen no one stood higher than he, and as a
soldier he won great fame and honor on the battlefield.
But it was in the walks of private life that the character
of the man shone most brightly. First he was wedded to
a lady of his own State, and his children survive him to
receive the rich heritage of the high reputation of charac-
ter and honor won for himself in every avocation of life.

After the death of his first wife, in later life he married
a lady with whom the citizens of Washington and people
who come here from every portion of the country are not
unfamiliar. She was the solace of his life from the time
of his marriage until he passed away. She has been the
ornament of the society in which he dwelt and moved
during his lifetime. She, too, survives him. But in all
the acts he has done, v/hether in the field or as the execu-
tive of the State of North Carolina or as the well-
equipped Senator from one of the sovereign States of the
Union, coming as its ambassador to the halls of Congress
to speak its sentiments, whatever position he filled, he has
won fame, honor, and the good will of all men who held
rank with him. Justly may his State and family be proud
of the heritage they have received from his hands. In no
position did he fail to discharge his duty to his country,
to his fellow-citizens, and to the God whom he revered.

ii8 Address of Mr. Hooker of Mississippi.

It is said that one of the most remarkable discourses he
ever delivered was in a lecture where he paid a wonderful
tribute to that great nation of Israelites, who in modern
times it has been the custom to speak of in such terms
of disparagement. Speaking of the scattered nations, he
depicts that great nation that had Isaiah for its poet and
the j\Iaccabees for generals. He might well have said of
it that there were no people more remarkable than that
wonderful nation.

He delivered many other lectures, and at last, in the
Senate of the United States, he consecrated his services to
his country by leaving in every speech that he made speci-
mens of orator}', of humor, of wit. He seldom indulged
in sarcasm, because he had too much heart for it, but he
has left prominently upon the records of the Senate speci-
mens of orator\-, of humor, of wit that will make him
rank with the greatest men of the olden times. He will
take his position in line with the great men from his own
State — and they have been great — from the earliest da\s.
He will take his position side by side with that venerable
trio that passed awa\- long ago, of whom we are in the
habit of speaking when the Senate is named, Calhoun,
Clay, and Webster. He will take his position as one of the
ereat orators and statesmen of the land in which he lived.

From his earliest service to his country, when he was
first put into public position as governor, from the time he
was first attorney of one of the districts of the State of
North Carolina, down to the time when he finally closed
his eyes, every act of his life, every thought of his mind,
every conception of his heart, was for his country and his
whole country. He might well bo pardoned if, in the

Life and Cliaractcr of Zcbulon Bairci Vance. 119

closing hours of his life, looking back to the memorable
events in which he had been so prominent an actor, he
had imitated the modesty of the great poet of the olden
davs who, when he contemplated the wonderful epic of his
own production, exclaimed in its closing lines, as Vaxce
could have exclaimed in his closing hours:

Jamque opus exegi, quod nee Jovis ira, nee ignis,
Nee poterit ferrum, nee edax abolere vetustas.

I20 Address of Mr. Daniels of New York.

ADDRESS OF Mr. Daniels.

Mr. Speaker: I take part with the gentlemen who have
been assigned to express their tribute of regard for the life
and memory of this distinguished man from the circum-
stance that I was one of those who were selected on the
part of the House to carry his remains to their last and
final resting place. During early life, however, my atten-
tion had been called to the character and career of Mr.
Vance. He soon rose upon the political and national
horizon so high as to attract the attention and respect of
the country. A public career was before him which was
improved by his abilities and his fidelity to his country's
interests that continued him in public life and the service
of his State. He soon became known to the Union and to
all the localities in which patriotism and abilit>' were held
in respect and esteem ; and he was known to be a man
who in all the walks of public life certainh" fulfilled the
expectations of his State and of his countr\-.

But one period arose which subjected him in aiu- respect
to criticism, and that has been referred to upon this occa-
sion by other gentlemen addressing the House. That was
the part which he took in the conflict that was brought
on between the people of the different sections of the coun-
try in their struggle, as it finally turned out, either for the
maintenance or the overthrow of the system of human slav-
ery. It was considered, in a large section of the countr>',
to be entirely incompatible with the free system of our

Lite and Cliaractcr of Zebu Ion Baird I 'a nee. 121

Government, wliile on the other hand it was regarded and
maintained as a peculiar institution of the other section.
But it had become oppressive there, as well as the subject
of condenniation from other portions of the land, and it
was one of those developments which it has been the fate
of humanity to settle only by the arbitrament of arms.
The knot was to be cut by the sword, and by no other
means whatever. Negotiations and compromise had come
to an end, and therefore this conflict was brought about
by the apparent force of circumstances.

The system was placed in the balances, and the deceased
Senator took the side of his own section, and manfully
and fearlessly maintained what he believed to be right.
But in this conflict this institution was extinguished and
has disappeared from the face of the country, and from
identity with its prominent institutions, and at this time
we have reached certainly a point where the mantle of
oblivion should be spread over the act and the lives and
the conduct of those persons who, under the impulse of
their own localities, took part in this serious and deadly
conflict. The result has been an advantage to the country,
to the section even in which this institution had existed
and become oppressive, and now all the States and all the
population of the States are in a condition to march for-
ward in the progress of industrial success, of intellectual
accomplishment, and of the highest patriotism that may
be known to free and independent citizens.

This man, under all circumstances where he was em-
ployed on behalf of the public, whether in one capacity or
another, fulfilled entirely the expectations that were enter-
tained of him, and as such certainlv was not onh' entitled

122 AMrrss of Mr. Daniels of Xcw York.

to but has generallv- received the commendation and ap-
proval of the people of the United States, whether in his
own locality or in others where his renown had extended
and his character was esteemed and respected.

Bnt it is not in reference to his public character that
I desire so much to call the attention of the House upon
this occasion as it is to the private character of the man.
Although I had not a personal acquaintance with the de-
ceased Senator, yet from the circumstances that occurred
during the transit of his remains from here to the place of
his burial evidences were presented from the population of
the State of which he was a resident that indicated the
high esteem in which his private character and his private
virtues were held b\- the communities through which his
remains were taken.

I ma>- say here, Mr. Speaker, that while the public men
of our conntrv and other countries may be commended,
ma^■ be approved and extolled by general expressions of
sentiment as to their public career and the discharge of
their public duties, there is no greater evidence of the
worth and character of the individual than that which is
.secured from the expressions of respect and regard b)- the
masses of the people. When this man's remains were
taken to the capital of his State and laid there in the
Statehouse for the observation of the people of that city,
t]ie\- not only assembled and passed in silent respect the
bier whereon these remains laid, but, in addition to that,
the poor and lowly, the mas.ses especialh', were largely
among the throng that passed b\- the remains uijon this
occasion; and from the silent evidences of .sorrow, respect,
and regret that those persons gave it was apparent that the

Life and Character of Zchtihvi Baird Vance. 123

hold of this distinguished man on the mind and affections
of the common people had reached throughout the com-
munity.

They were the persons who passed silenth' by, indicating
the great sorrow and the great attachment that had grown
up in their hearts from the life and experience that they
had had of this man and of his qualities and his conduct
as a prominent man and member of their State. It was a
tribute that could not be given to any public person other-
wise than from a deep sense that had impressed itself
upon the minds of these people of his virtues, of his for-
bearance, of his assistance to the lowly and laboring classes
of the community. It was not only among the masses of
the white people that these tributes of respect and these
tributes of feeling were given to him, but among the black
people as well. All seemed to cherish and revere him as
their friend, as a person upon whom thev had depended,
and from whom they had received assistance.

It was a gratifying circumstance to see these evidences
of feeling and of sympath)' upon the part of these people,
the "plain people," as Mr. Lincoln designated them, flow-
ing out upon this occasion for the memory of a man who
had been so long in their service and the service of their
State.

When the remains were taken from this place toward
the citv where they were to be consigned to the tomb, they
remained upon the railway cars at Durham for the period
of an hour, and during the time the train remained there
this class of people again thronged the cars and passed
through for the purpose of pa\-ing tribute to the man for
whom they entertained this great degree of respect; and

124 Address of Mr. Daniels of Xew York.

the crowd was so large that it seemed as though all the
working classes of that city had gathered together to render
the deceased this tribute of their sincerity and of their great
respect.

When, in the progress of the journey, the train passed
through Greensboro, the same manifestations of feeling and
respect from the masses of the people were again renewed,
and while the train remained there those people, although
the time was evening, thronged about the platform and
passed through the car for the purpose of taking a last look
at the man whom they had learned to admire, to respect,
and to love.

We passed from there to the city where his residence liad
been ; and there he was laid before the people in the same
condition of state. There he received the attention, the
commendation, the respect, and the love of the individuals
composing those classes of the community, as he had at
the other places through which the remains had been
taken. When the time arri\-ed to take him to the beau-
tiful cemetery adjacent to the city of Asheville, where his
remains were to be laid in quietude, he was followed by
this class of people, as well as by the intelligent, the bu.si-
ness, and the wealthy classes of that city, to the cemetery
upon the hillside where he was laid in the tomb.

These evidences of respect, these evidences of attention,
these tributes and marks of affection on the part of these
people, show what the character of this man had been
during his life. They show what he had earned in the
way of commendation from the people of his own locality,
as well as generally from the people of the Ignited States.
He was taken to this spot and there Iniried, with the.-e

Life and Character of Zcbitloii Baird I'ance. 125

people surroiuidiiig iiim, giving him the last evidences of
respect and affection that the\- were capable of giving
him, and there he was left to sleep in the slope of this
beautiful cemetery, almost at the foot of which was the
ri\-er that flowed from the mountains down to the sea.
He has passed, as this river passes, to the ocean of eter-
nity, and there his remains were left in the hope, of course,
on the part of all, in the promise of a final and blissful
resurrection.

But these attributes which were exhibited in the mani-
festations of the people could not but impress every person
with the conviction that he was a man who, in his life, in
his conduct, in his relations to others, had secured the
approval not only of the wealthy, the intelligent, the pros-
perous members of the community, but also that he was
upon a line of entire affinity with the working people,
the poor people of the locality in which he lived and of
his great State; and that they entertained for him a deep
measure of respect and affection was indicated by the ex-
pressions of sorrow that attended his demise. It was an
honor to his memory, an honor to the man, an honor to
the State, a manifestation that could not have originated
from any other source than the grandeur, the sincerity,
and the kindliness of his character, and these evidences
will, no doubt, long live to characterize, to preserve, and to
secure his memory in the minds and hearts of all classes of
the people of his State as well as of the country at large.

126 Address of Mi-. Whcclcr of Alabama.

ADDRESS OF Mr. Wheeler of Alabama.

Mr. Speaker: Senator Vanxe, probably more than any
other man of this generation, possessed qualities wliich
peculiarly fitted him for a public servant in a Republic
like ours. He combined great ability, profound learninsj,
intuitive knowledge of human nature, and the facult\' of
presenting his views with great power and clearness. In
any attitude or position in life Senator Vance would have
been a leader and would have achieved great distinction.
His character seems to have abounded in those qualities
which people of all classes and conditions love and admire.

He was honest and sincere in every phase and interpreta-
tion of those words. He was generous in all his dealings.
To the weak he was tender and magnanimous. His whole
life was an exemplification of love and devotion to the peo-
ple whom he served. To this was largely due the bounte-
ous outpouring of lo\'e .from his people to their idolized
leader.

At the age of tvvent\-four Senator X'.anck became dis-
tinguished as a member of the legislature of North Caro-
lina; at twenty-six he was prominent as an eloqueiU and
able Representative in the Congress of the United States.
At thirty-one he had organized one of the finest regiments
in the Confederate army, had become greath- distinguished
as its leader, and had received the highest commendation
for his coolness, coiiragc, and soldierly conduct in battle.
\ \'ear later, when but tliirt\-lwo veais of age, he was

Life and Character of Zchulon Baird I'aiice. 127

elected governor of Nortli Carolina, and in 1864 was re-
elected to that exalted position. His administration of
affairs as chief execntive of his State earned for him the
approval, snpport, and confidence of the people. He per-
fected arrangements by which the resonrces of the State
were availed of to clotlie, feed, and care for the soldiers in
the field, and at the same time to give protection to their
families and their homes.

I first met Senator Vance in April, 1865. It was inevi-
table that the next day the Federal army nnder General
Sherman wonld occnpv the State capital. It is a histor-
ical fact that, appalled as they were by the strength of the
Federal army and the inability of the Confederates to resist
the overpowering forces under General Sherman, many
prominent men ad\'ised that North Carolina should make
the best possible terms with the Federal Government.

Senator Vance was too great a man to be led from his
plain line of duty into negotiations of such a character, and
he determined that the honor and best interests of North
Carolina and her brave soldiers, who had won imperishable
renown, demanded that she should share the fate of her
sister Southern States. Preferring, in case he fell into the
hands of the Federals, to be in the attitude of a military
rather than a political prisoner, and desiring to remain as
close to his capital as possible, and to obtain tlie earliest
information as to the condition of the Confederates as well
as the movements of the Federal army, Governor Vance
was appointed an aid-de-camp upon my staff, witli the
rank of colonel, and for some days I had tire honor and
pleasure of an intimate association with this distinguished
war governor. I was forcibly impressed with his wisdom

128 Address of Mr. W'hcclcr of Alabama.

and foresight. Surrounded as we were by what seemed to
most people inextricable uncertainties, Governor \'ance
appeared to fully comprehend our future.

His distinguished career since the war is fully known to
our country-. Few Southern Senators have been so fortu-
nate in exercising influences for the benefit of the States
they represent as Senator Vance.

I shall leave it to those of his own State to speak more
in detail of the career of this eminent man. The exalted
position which he held for more than the third of a century
places him high in rank as a man of national usefulness
and prominence.

He enjoyed the respect of the entire country. The
brave soldiers he so gallantly led love and admire him for
his courage in battle, the hearts of the people of his State
go out with feelings of love and gratitude for the fidelity
with which he executed the trusts confided to him, and the
people of the South will always honor and revere his
memory.

Bv the side of the ever-running streams and the eternal
hills of the historic State of North Carolina, the State
which gave him birth and lavished honors upon him, the
mortal remains of Senator Vance have been laid to rest.

Life and Cliaractcr of Zcbuloii Baird Vance. 129

, ADDRESS OF Mr. Bland.

Mr. Speaker: I wish in a few words to add my tes-
timony to the great merits of our departed statesman,
Senator Vance.

He was a member of the Senate; I a member of the
House. Yet we were frequently thrown together, both
socially and officiall)-. I was, probably, brought closer to
him because like myself he believed that the restoration
of the free coinage of silver was necessary to the financial
welfare of the country. Bimetallism had no abler advo-
cate in either House of Congress than Senator Vance.

In the coming battles for this cause we will miss his wise
counsels and deplore the loss of his eloquent pleas for the
success of this great issue.

Whenever I learned that Senator Vance had the floor in
the Senate on the silver question I always took pleasure in
going over to hear him.

His eloquent words in opposition to the repeal of the
purchasing clause of the Sherman law rang out in warning,
and his prophecies that the promised prosperity consequent
on the repeal would never come, but on the contrary that
the country would suflfer on account of such legislation,
have proven to be true.

Senator Vaxce was one of the most striking personages
in public life. There was a magnetic charm about his
smiling face. His evident good nature, coupled with his
strength of character, at once photographed itself upon the
memory.

S Mis 151 9

130 Address of Mr. Bland of Missouri.

I can see him now as he appeared in all the strength and
power of a great man, for he was trnly great.

In debate he was strong and forcefnl. Alwa\'s in ear-
nest, intensely sincere, }et withal he had a pleasing man-
ner, so that while vanquishing his opponents he awoke no
spirit of revenge.

Mr. Speaker, if Death sought from among us a man who
in all his nature was a sympathizer and friend of struggling
humanity, if the fell Destroyer was determined to strike
down one of the most conspicuous champions and ablest
defenders of the interest of the plain people, then, indeed,
was the doom of Senator Vaxck inev^itable. But Death
spares no man, however great and useful he ma}- be.
Truly life is but a span. When we li\-e out our allotted
"three-score and ten," we look back to the days of child-
hood, youth, and mature age, we compress all these years
of joy and sorrow, of success and failure, in a moment of
intense thought. Yea, the mind goes back through the
dim vista of ages past. We see the peoples who for thou-
sands of years have come and gone. We confuse and con-
found until all mankind since the world began appear
as our contemporaries. Dying, we join them as youthful
companions in eternity.

Death is the great commoner. He lays the heads of the
great and powerful as low as the humblest. But death can
iK)t rob the great Senator of his just renown. His memory
will live. His life and character will be pointed to as an
examjile of what houestN' and energy may ;iccouiplisli.

His name and fame are secure.

As we love and revere his memory, so also we trust his
spirit is at ])eace with his God.

Lift and Charnctcr of Zcbitlou Baird Vance. 131

ADDRESS OF Mr. McMILLIN.

Mr. Speaker: One of the strongest and best beloved
sons of the Sonthland and patriots of the whole land is gone.
We come to-day to place in the records of this Hotise our
humble tribute to his many virtues.

Senator \'axch was born in 1830, in North Carolina,
and finished his education, so far as his schooling was
concerned, about the time he reached manhood. But his
period of study did not end there, for to the day of his
death he was not only a thoughtful man, but he had de-
voted much time to stud\'ing the writings and saving-s of
others.

One of the British essayists has defined genius to be
the possession in combination of " a quick perception, a
strong understanding, and a high sense of the ludicrous."
All of these our deceased friend possessed in a very high
degree. In truth, he was a very rare and remarkable
combination. He possessed native brilliancy without it
diminishing his disposition to study; he had the finest wit
and humor without impairing his reputation for serious
thought and stern action. These were used only as aids
in impressing solemn truths and serious matters. His
speeches, both written and extemporary, abound in humor-
ous thought, witty expression, and in anecdote ; but I defy
the most careful critic of his public utterances to point
to any of these that were ever used except to illustrate a
weighty matter.

132 Address of Mr. McMillin of Tennessee.

From his first entrance into public life to the close of his
long and eventful career the most signal success marked
the course of this wonderful man. For over a third of
a century he participated in the great conflicts of our in-
tense American life. Step by step, and with remarkable
rapidity, he rose from station to station till he had served
his State as its attorney, in its legislature, in its army,
and the House of Representatives here, as its governor,
and as its four-tinres-elected United States Senator. He
saw the slavery question rise and culminate. He saw the
Union divided and our whole people rush to the tented
field, and was a jjarticipant in the mightiest civil war of
all the ages. So prominent was he as Congressman, as an
officer in the Army of Virginia, as war governor, as Sena-
tor, then as governor in the trying period that succeeded
our war, that it would be no exaggeration to say that he
was one of those upon whom all eyes were fixed. Yet
it can be truly said that never for an hour, ne\-er for a
moment, either North or South, was his courage, his hon-
esty, his patriotism, or his self-sacrificing devotion to
principle questioned.

Nor were his admirable qualities confined to the field of
public duty. He was as lovable in his home life as he was
admirable in public station. I know now and knew liefore
he wed her the noble woman who stood by his deathlied at
the last sad hour. And I know that whilst his country
suffered much by his departure, his sweet and hospital^le
home can never again be lighted as his genial smile illu-
mined it.

Mr. Speaker, Senator V:\ncf. not onix- liad the \-irtiies
I have enumerated, Init lie loved tlu- (lod wlio had gi\'en

Life and Cliayactcr of Zchulon Baird Vance. 133

him beinj;- with his "whole soul, iniiid, and strength,"
and he yielded himself up to His service. He was able
to pass through the valle\- of the shadow of death with
the same freedom from fear that had marked his journey
through life. The blaze of Christianity illumined his way,
and no fear caused him to falter when he came to "tread
the wine press alone."

Sir, honored by his great State as few men ever are,
loved by all who knew him, respected and admired b\' the
people of all the States, he has been taken from the
country he loved so much and served so well. From the
shores of the Atlantic to the summit of North Carolina's
beautiful mountains there is not a patriotic son or daugh-
ter of the glorious North State whose heart is not bowed
down with grief on account of our country's loss. His
whole people, whether residing on mountain or in valley,
in mansion, in cottage, or in cabin, feel that they have
lost a great champion, and the country a great defender.

May the God whom he loved and served bless the family
left to mourn him, and inspire those of us who survi\'e him
with that love of country and devotion to duty and prin-
ciple which are shining characteristics of his glorious life.

134 Address of Mr. Springer of Illinois.

ADDRESS OF Mr. Springer.

Mr. Speaker: I will not speak of all the positions of
honor held by the distinguished Senator whose memory we
are commemorating on this occasion, or of all his great
virtues. Others better acquainted with his long and hon-
orable career than I am have already given the details of
his life work, and have recounted the man>- acts of his
illustrious and eventful history. He served as a member
of this House in two Congresses before the war, was three
times governor of his State, and was four times elected a
Senator in Congress, but was not seated under his first
election. He died in the middle of his third term of Sen-
atorial service. He held many offices of honor and trust
in his State, and served for a short time in the Confeder-
ate army. In all the positions lield by him he acquitted
himself with marked distinction.

He was a man of commanding presence. In any as-
sembly or company of people he would have been "the
observed of all observers" on account of his fine physique,
his dignified bearing, and his intellectual features. I did
not know liini in his youtli, hut in his maturer years he
was in appearance an ideal governor, a model Senator.

He was of a most cheerful disposition. One could not
come into his presence without feeling a sense of cheerful-
ness at once. It was impossible to be with him without
forgetting all cares and vexations of life. He possessed an
inexhaustible fund of information on all public questions,
and never was at a loss to emphasize his narrations of i)er-
sonal and historical reminiscences with amusing anecdotes.

Life and Cliaracicr of Zi-biiloii Jiaini \'a)icc. 135

He possessed in a high degree a sense of lunnor, and en-
joyed telling and listening to others tell amnsing incidents
in everyday life. Few persons whom I have known could
tell a storv in a better vein of humor or in a manner more
impressive than he could. In this respect he was very
much like Abraham Lincoln. They both made their pop-
ular addresses exceedingly attractive to their hearers by
an occasional humorous illustration, which never failed
to call forth demonstrations of applause and to rivet the
attention of the audience upon the more solid and instruc-
tive portions of their discourses.

Senator Vance enjoyed in a most remarkable degree the
affections of the people of his State, and in fact of the
whole country. He was a gentleman of the old school,
honorable and just in all the relations of life. His integ-
rity was far above all suspicion, and he maintained at all
times a steadfast adherence to his convictions, and upheld
the right regardless of consequences. He was a statesman
in the broadest sense, a devoted friend of the common peo-
ple, and a fearless advocate of the equal rights of all before
the law. He so lived during this mortal life that he ap-
proached the life to come with calm resignation, and even
cheerfulness, in anticipation of a brighter and better exist-
ence beyond the tomb. And wh\- not?

There is no death ! What seems so is transition;

This life of mortal breath
Is but a suburb of the life elysian.

Our departed friend so regarded it and did not fear the
change. His death is an irreparable loss to his family, to
his State, and to his country. But their loss was his gain.
He sleeps the sleep of the just and will receive the reward
of the faithful servant..

136 Address of Mr. Sivaiisou of I 'irgiiiia.

ADDRESS OF MR. SWANSON.

Mr. Speaker: I do not rise to deliver a studied or elab-
orate eulogy upou the distinguished Senator. That has
been so well and eloquently done that I can add nothing
to what has been said. I only rise to place upon his grave
in behalf of myself and people a modest chaplet of love
and esteem.

The people of no section heard with more profound
regret and sorrow the death of the late distinguished Sen-
ator from North Carolina than those whom I have the
honor to represent upon this floor. No people loved him
more than we loved him; none admired him more than we
admired him; none have experienced more than we his
kind offices and generous aid. When to subserve partisan
purposes the Senate of the United States, by a pretended
investigation, inaugurated by a recreant Senator from Vir-
ginia, sought to blacken the fair name and asjjerse the
character of the good people of Danville and my district,
we found in Senator Y.\NCE our brave champion and our
valiant defender. That gratitude which is the richest and
rarest flower that sheds its perfume on the human heart
will ever insure him our highest regard; encircle his name
with garlands of deejaest love and devotion. We feel to-
ward him that deep personal affection and pride which
animate the people of his own State. I wisli I had the
power this afternoon of voicing the tender love and admi-
ration that mv people entertain for this man. I wish my

Life and Character of Zelmlou Baird Vance. 137

power of speech was commensurate with and could do full
justice to his splendid qualities of mind and heart. ,

Senator Vance was a man whom to know was both to
love and to admire. Affable, joyous, warm-hearted, kind,
and generous, he was ' ' the very schoolboy of the heart. ' '
He possessed a genial flow of spirits, a witchery of wit and
humor that was irresistible. His presence was sunshine.
Vance always impressed me like the great State he rep-
resented. North Carolina is largely composed of rich,
broad, fertile fields and plains, and is decorated here and
there with a wild picturesqueness and beauty of scenery
unsurpassed. So with her great son; he was endowed
with a strong, broad, masculine mind and heart, spark-
ling with all the fascinations of wit and humor and glit-
tering with all the coruscations of eloquence, pathos, and
genius.

Mr. Speaker, the greatest of all English novelists, in his
masterpiece. Vanity Fair, has truly said that the world is
a looking-glass and casts back to each man the reflection
of his own face. If he smiles upon the world it smiles
upon him. If he frowns upon it, it frowns upon him. If
he hates it, it hates him. If he loves it, it loves him.
How profoundly is this truth illustrated in the magnifi-
cent career of the late distinguished Senator. He smiled
upon the world with a tender smile, and it received him
with open, loving arms. He loved humanity and the
world, and he died the idol of his people. He trusted the
people, and with implicit confidence his people, in their
hours of trial and gloom, placed with loving faith their
hands in his and followed his leadership and guidance to
sunshine and prosperity.

138 Address of Air. Swaiisoit of ]'irgiiua.

His people showered upon him even- trust, every honor
which it was in their power to bestow. What a splendid
career does his life present. Prosecuting attorney of his
countN- at the age of twent}-two; member of the legisla-
ture at twenty-four; Representative in the United States
Congress at twenty-eight; a brave, distinguished soldier at
thirty-one; elected go\ernor of his State at thirty-two, to
guide her through the storms and tempests of war; re-
elected at thirty-four with the reputation of being the
most distinguished and efficient of all the noted war gov-
ernors. In 1870 elected to the United States Senate, but
being refused admission, he returned to his State and suc-
cessfully engaged in the practice of law until 1876, when,
by the universal call of his party, he again offered for
governor, and in the memorable campaign of that year
redeemed his State from the corrupt and miserable gov-
ernment which reconstruction had placed upon her. In
1878 he was elected to the United States Senate, and
from that time to his death he served as one of the most
beloved, talented, and distinguished members of that body.

Few public men, few statesmen have experienced a life
so crowded with great and grave responsibilities, so re-
splendent with success and honors. His public career,
extending from prosecuting attorney to United States Sen-
ator, each year exhibited a broadening in reputation, in
power and usefulness.

Mr. Speaker, Carlyle, in his splendid essay on Voltaire,
has truly said that the life of every man is as the well-
spring of a stream, whose small beginnings are indeed
])lain to all, whose ultimate cour.se and destination, as it
winds through the expanse of infinite years, only the

Life and Character of Zebu Ion Baird I 'a nee. 139

Omniscient can discern. Will it mingle with the ueio;h-
boring rivulets as a tributary or receive them as their sov-
ereign? Is it to be a nameless brook, and will its tiny
waters among millions of other brooks and rills increase
the current of some world-famed river? Or is it to be
itself a Rhine, a Danube, an Amazon, whose goings forth
are to the uttermost land, its floods an everlasting boundary
line on the globe itself, the bulwark and highway of whole
kingdoms and continents.

As to which a man's life shall be — whether a tiny stream
or a magnificent river — depends largely upon one's talents,
but more than all, his own efforts and ambition. Vance,
possessed of high qualities of mind and splendid talents,
aspiring and ambitious, chose to make and did make the
stream of his life, as it ran with its pure waters to the
great eternal ocean, a large and majestic river, known far
and wide, fertilizing broad fields, enriching States, and
carrying on its bosom rich treasures for his country and
mankind.

140 Address of Mr. Cantth of Kentucky.

ADDRESS OF Mr. CARUTH.

Mr. Speaker: Scarcely had the echo of the last gun of
our fratricidal war died out in the land, hardly had the
smoke risen from the last battle plain; blood-smeared Bel-
lona had but just fled and white-winged Peace returned
from her banishment to reign in her stead, when it entered
the patriotic minds of some of the residents of the city of
my home to bring together on Kentucky soil representa-
tive men of the North and of the South, who had so
recently doffed the blue or the gray, to mingle together, to
"shake hands across the bloody chasm," and to renew
their vows of allegiance to the Union of the States under
the victorious Stars and Stripes.

It was appropriate that such a gathering should be held
on Kentucky soil, for that State stood on the border land,
tried to avert the threatened conflict, spoke words of con-
ciliation and of peace. Her efforts were useless, her voice
was unheeded, and from her blue-grass fields and her moun-
tain fastnesses her brave sons rushed to the aid of the cause
thev liad loved. Eighty thousand of her people enlisted on
either side in that deadly conflict. Principle divided her
people, dissension entered ever\- household and separated
father and son and brother and brotlier. She loved the
Union as she loved the South. Wliat better mediator ibr
peace than she? Wliat liaud could more appropriately
reach fortli to bring together in peaceful unity the men of
the North and the South than tlie hand of Kentucky?

.\nimated by a desire to accomplisli this great work, the
patriotic people of Louisville brought to their hospitable

Life and Clmradcr of Zcbitlon Baird I'ance. 141

homes representative men of the North, men of impor-
tance and influence in the South. In this notable gath-
ering who could more appropriately mingle than Hon.
Zebulon B. Vance, of North Carolina? A lover of his
country, his influence had been exerted, his eloquent voice
had been raised against the dismemberment of the Union,
and it was only after his efforts failed that he, with the
greatest reluctance and the deepest sorrow, followed his
beloved North Carolina into the Southern Confederacy.
It is needless to say that on the occasion referred to no
voice pleaded with more potent eloquence for the restora-
tion of the Union on the principles of the Constitution
than that of Governor Vance. Although I knew this
dignified man by reputation, it was not until this occasion
that I had the pleasure of personally meeting him, and
from that time I admired and respected him. I was des-
tined, however, to know him better, not only from the
official intercourse which a member of the House neces-
sarily has with a member of the Senate, but because also
it w^as to Kentucky and to the county of my home that
Governor Vance afterwards came to select his life com-
panion. It was a fortunate selection for him, for she was
one of the fairest, brightest, most gifted daughters of Ken-
tuckv. She became indeed his helpmate — a wife devoted
to her husband.

Ever on the watch to borrow

Mirth of his mirth, and sorrow of his sorrow.

From the fact of this union, Kentucky has claimed a
deep interest in this distinguished man, and watched his
career with affectionate pride. In the hour of mourning,
sorrowing o\-er the affliction which has come to the heart
and home of her gifted daughter, Kentucky claims the

142 Address of Mr. Cariith of Krntucky.

right to mingle her tears with those of bereaved North
Carolina.

What could I say of Zebulon B. Vance that all Amer-
ica does not know? Shall I speak of his patriotism? His
devotion to his country and his State is part of the history
of the trying period of the civil war. Reluctanth- he left
this House to enter the army of his native vState, and be-
came a colonel in the Confederate service. He laid down
the sword to assume executive control of the affairs of his
State. He was North Carolina's war governor, sustained
throughout this fierce conflict the supremacy of the civil
over the military law, and when the end came his voice
was raised in behalf of peace and a restored ITnion. All
this the world knows.

Shall I speak of him as a statesman? Do not all the
people of the United States know the story of his work
in the halls of legislation in behalf of his State and his
country? Twice a Representati\e in tliis House, thrice
governor of his native State, four times chosen Senator!
Whose civic career is more distinguished than this?

Shall I speak of him as an orator? What words of mine
could do justice to his fame? He was, indeed, gifted with
eloquence. On the hustings his voice rang out with per-
suasive power and molded "the thoughts of many into
one," and in the legislative halls "listening senates hung
upon his tongue." In modern times there has appeared
in the Republic no more thoroughly equipped or better
prepared debater and orator than Zeium,on B. \'.\nce.

Shall I speak of him as a man? Those wln) knew him
best have borne the strongest testimony to his worth.
Born in the Old North State, with his ashes buried in her
soil, North Carolina says to the world: "He was my

Life and Character of Zcbitlon Baird ]'ancc. 143

beloved son; I twice sent hiin to the National House of
Representatives. I then made him my governor, and four
times I elected him a Senator in Congress. Never did I
before so honor one of my citizens; he was always true,
alwaj's worthy. I honored myself in honoring him."

Let me borrow in this connection the very eloquent lan-
gtiage of his colleague, Senator Ransom, who, in speaking
of him on a similar occasion to this in the Senate, said:

What Tell was to Switzerland, what Bruce was to Scotland, what William of
Orange was to Holland, I had almost said wdiat Moses was to Israel, ^''ANCE was
to North Carolina. I can give you but a faint idea of the deep, fervid, exalted
sentiment which our people cherished for their greatest tribune. He was of them.
He was one of them. He was with them. His thoughts, his feelings, his words
were theirs. He was their shepherd, their champion, their friend, their guide,
blood of their blood, great, good, noble, true, human like they were in all respects,
no better, but wiser, abler, with higher knowledge and profounder learning.

Nor was this unsurpassed devotion unreasonable or without just foundation.
For more than the third of a century, for upward of thirty years, in peace and in
war, in prosperity and in adversity, in joy and in sorrow, he had stood by them
like a brother — a defender, a preserver, a deliverer. He was their martyr and
had suffered for their acts. He was their shield and had protected them from
evil and from peril. He had been with them — -he had been with them and their
sons and brothers on the march, by the camp fires, in the burning light of battle;
beside the wounded and the dying; in their darkest hours, amid hunger and cold
and famine and pestilences, his watchful care had Isrought them comfort and
shelter and protection.

-jf * * * ^

In defeat, amid tumult, amid ruin, humiliation, and the loss of all they had, he
had been their adviser, he had guided them through the wilderness of their woes
and brought them safely back to their rights and all their hopes. He had been to
them like the north star to the storm-tossed and despairing mariner. He had
been greater than Ulysses to the Greeks. He had preserved their priceless honor,
had saved their homes, and was the defender of their liberties. He was their
benefactor. Every object around them reminded them of his care, every mem-
ory recalled, every thought suggested his usefulness and their gratitude.

The labors of his useful, brilliant life are over, the tri-
umphs of earth are ended in death, but the memor\' of his
deeds, the story of his career, will not only live in history,
but tradition will hand them down from sire to son to the
remotest generations of our people. His fame is immortal.

144 Address of Mr. Bryan of Nebraska.

Address of Mr. Bryan.

Mr. Speaker: We are called upon on these occasions
to speak of the virtues of many different types of men.
Sometimes one is taken from us who has spent the most of
his da\-s in private business and has come to these Halls to
crown with public honors a busy life. Sometimes we are
called to mourn a man taken from us in the very begin-
ning of his career, and consider what he might have
accomplished had he lived. But it is seldom that, in
either of these Halls, we find a man whose life was so com-
pletely given to public service as was the life of Senator
Vance. He began his public career when he was a young
man, bareh- of age, and he was a public servant from that
time, almost without a pause, until his earthl\' life was
ended. In the history of our covintry I think we shall find
few men as remarkable. When a man is elected once or
twice and disappears, we may attribute his success to cir-
cumstances; but when a man begins, as Mr. V.ANCE began,
a young man, and retains tlie confidence of those whom he
served for a generation, we must conclude that his success
is due to something more than chance or accident.

Senator V.\nce was "a leader among men." Few in
our day or in our history even have better earned that
designation than Zebui.ON B. Vance. He was a leader
among men — and naturally so. He had those character-
istics which could not fail to make him a leader, not self-
appointed, but chosen by common consent. He was a

Life and Character of Zebulon Baird I'a/ice. 145

wise man. He was able to estimate causes and calculate
effects. He was able to foresee what w^ould come to pass,
because he understood men— that is necessary in a leader.
We rely upon the Infinite because we are finite. We feel
the limitations of our own knowledge and we long to find
someone who knows more and can see farther than we.
Among men, we naturally turn to the one who can foresee
events, as a child turns to a parent for advice. It was not
the experience of age which he possessed; it was a sort of
intuitive judgment, an instinct for truth, that made him
see in advance what others only found out afterwards.

It has been mentioned here to-day that when the late
civil war was about to break out he was able to survey the
whole ground and to see what would be the necessary re-
sult, and that he told his people what that result would be.
He did this, too, when a young man, a man younger than
any of us who are on this floor to-day, and time proved his
wisdom. So, coming on down, as each new crisis arose, as
each new force began its work upon society, he seemed to
be able to calculate what was coming, and every time his
judgment was justified by events his hold upon popular
confidence increased.

When the Fifty-third Congress was convened in extra
session in August, 1893, no man in this country more
clearly foresaw the course of events and more clearly pre-
dicted the results of the proposed financial policy. He
talked with his associates; he wrote to his people; he told
them just what the effect would be upon the party with
which he was identified and whose name he loved.

Not only was he a wise man, but he was a courageous
man. And that is a characteristic, too, that is essential

S Mis 151 10

146 Address of Mr. Bryan of Xchraska.

in the man who is to be a leader of men. He had the
courage to assume responsibility. He shirked no duty.
What he believed he said, and he was willing to stand or
fall by the correctness of his conclusions. Jefferson, in
speaking of some man, said that he had not learned the
sublime truth that a bold, unequivocal virtue is the best
handmaid even unto ambition. Zebulox B. \'ance had
learned that sublime truth. He knew that a bold, un-
equivocal virtue is the best handmaid unto ambition, and
that, while trimming one's sails to catch a passing breeze
may help temporarily, there is nothing which is perma-
nently of aid to a public man except standing by his
convictions. I have no doubt he had ambition; but from
what I have been al^le to read and learn of him it was
an ambition which is laudable, an ambition which every
man in this country may well possess, an ambition to do
his duty everywhere, an ambition to deserve well, to have
what he deserved and nothing more.

He had more than wisdom and courage; he had that
without which wisdom and courage would have been of no
avail. He loved the people whom lie would lead. And
it was no condescending love either. It was no stooping
down to someone beneath him. He really' believed in
the equality of men and that those among whom he asso-
ciated were his brethren. He sliared their hopes, their
aims, and their ambitions. He felt their woes and he
knew their joys. He was one of them, and tlic people
loved him because t]ie\' knew that he loved tlieni. Tliey
trusted liim l)ecause they knew that lie trusted them.
And in building upon the affections of tlie ]ieople he built
upon the only sure foundation.

Life and Character of Zcbulon Baird I 'ancc. 147

It has been said that the most sincere tribute that can be
paid to a man is that which is paid at his grave. Some
may fear a man while he lives, and therefore show him
attention; or others may want to court his favor. When
we see apparent friendship for the great we do not always
know what motive may be behind it. But when a man is
dead and is impotent longer to injure or to aid, when men
gather around his grave and manifest their love, then we
know that their affection is disinterested. And I believe it
can be said that no man in this country ever enjoyed the
sincere affection of a larger proportion of the people whom
he served than Mr. Vance.

But he was not only a leader of men, he was an orator of
great influence. Not that on dress parade he was the best
man to put up for a public speech, but he was one of the
great orators because he possessed two of the character-
istics of the orator; he knew what he was talking about
when he talked, and he believed what he said. He who
believes what he says will move others; and he who knows
what he is talking about will convince others. Not onh-
did he impart knowledge surcharged with earnestness, but
he possessed rare ability in making the truth pleasant to
receive.

He was a statesman as well as a leader of men and an
orator. As a statesman he was devoted to his work. As
a statesman he was prepared to make every sacrifice for
which his position called. As a statesman he was ready to
give to ever}' call that conscientious response which duty
required. As a statesman he was pecuniarily honest.
There is nothing in the life of ]\Ir. Vanx'E that I prize
more than the fact that with all his ability, with all his

148 Ac/dress of Mr. Bryan of A^ebraska.

knowledge, with all his influence, no person can say that
he ever sold his influence, his ability, or his support for
money. No person can say that on any occasion he ever
surrendered the interests of the people as he understood
those interests for hope of gain.

Sometimes people speak sneeriugly of legislators. Some-
times they speak as if there were no such thing as honesty
among legislators. Some people talk as if every man has
his price, as if all that is necessary is to offer enough
money and the influence of any man who is .serving in
ofl[icial position can be purchased. I do not believe that
the worst enemy that Mr. Vance ever had would say of
him that any amount of money, however great, could have
purchased his vote, his voice, or his influence. And that a
man with his commanding ability, whose oflficial life began
at the very dawn of manhood and continued through all the
conspicuous positions within the gift of his countrymen,
should successfully resist all pecuniary temptations and die
poor is, I think, one of the proudest of his achievements.

Mr. Speaker, there are things in this life more valuable
than money. The wise man .said three thousand years
ago, "A good name is rather to be chosen than great
riches, and loving favor rather than silver and gold." We
struggle, we sacrifice, and we toil in order to leave to our
children a fortune; but I believe that Senator Vance has
left to his widow and to his children a greater, a more
valuable heritage than he could possibly have left had he
eiven to them all the monev which one man ever accii-
mulatt-d in this world. When he left to them a name
untarnished, when he left to them a reputation such as he
earned and bore, he left to them that which no wealth can

Life and Cliaractcr of Zchiilon Baird J'aiiu: 149

purchase and that which no one who possesses it would
part with for money. I am not skilled in the use of obit-
uary adjectives, and did not rise to give a review of his life,
but I Ijeg to place on record my tribute of profound respect
for a public servant who at the close of his career was able
to say to the people for whom he toiled, "I have lived in
your presence for a lifetime; I have received all my honors
at your hands; I stand before you without fear that an\-one
can charge against me an official wrong." I say, to such
a man I pay my tribute of respect.

150 Address 0/ Mr. Warner of New York.

ADDRESS OF Mr. Warner.

Mr. Speaker: It has fallen to others, sir, to speak of Sen-
ator Vance from the standpoint of long association and
intimate personal acquaintance. In the brief tribute which
I shall pay to his menior\- I shall speak rather for those
who watched his career from afar, and who had learned to
trust in him as one of the standard bearers of the cause
in which as private citizens they cast their ballots year
after year.

It was in the troublous days of reconstruction, sir, that
we of the North first knew of him. We then heard of
him as one of those extraordinary young men of whom
North Carolina has had so many. District attorney of his
county as soon as he became of age; elected member of his
State house of commons before his term of district attor-
ne)- was over; elected to Congress at twenty-six, and kept
there until he entered the Confederate army; made colonel
at thirty-one, in three months after his enlistment, and
elected governor of his State a year later, at the age of
thirt\-two; sent to the Senate in 1870, but refused admis-
sion there, we had learned to consider Governor \'.\nce
as the incarnation of North Carolina and North Carolina as
the State of Governor V.\XCE; and we were confirmed in
this when, after being elected a third time governor, he
was again sent to the Senate, this time taking his seat.

And it was but a short time, sir, before we began to
know him as one of the chosen few upon whom we could
always depend to fight the fight and keep the faith of the

Life and Character of Zebulou Baird ]'a)icc. 151

great national part\- he so long and so well served. We of
the North counted e\-ery year more and more on Senator
Vance, and every year we found onr faith better justified.

And when, in 1890, as the great Senator from Kentucky
was stricken with mortal illness, we saw Senator Vance,
worn and suffering, taking his place in the thickest of the
fight, he became thenceforth our rock of reliance; and not
merelv in the Old North State of the South but through-
out the North we gloried in his pluck and prayed for his
health.

Such, sir, was the confidence, such were the fears with
which we were inspired when, but a little more than a
year ago, we anxiously awaited his return to the place
where he was so sorely missed. The crisis was at hand
of the long struggle in which he had so long fought. If
there was any man who had earned the right to lead the
battle in the Senate, if there was one upon whom his
part\- and his country had specially counted, that man was
Senator Vance.

But death claimed him.

I shall not attempt, sir, to find consolation for his loss.
In the crisis in which it occurred, in .view of the long- bal-
ance and dubious issue of the events in which we needed
his aid, and lacked it, we can only bow to what must
be. He was stricken down just when his arm was most
needed; we lost his aid just when it w^ould have availed
us most; and the coranach of Duncan found its echo in our
hearts:

He is gone on the mountain,

He is lost to the forest.
Like a summer-dried fountain,

When our need was the sorest.

152 Address 0/ Mr. ll'anicr 0/ New York.

He died too soon — not for himself, for fame had already-
written full the record of his busy life, but for his State,
his country, and his party, that he had served so long and
so well in field and in council; as a soldier, without fear; as
a statesman, without variableness or shadow of turning;
as a man among men, whose presence warmed and cheered
everv fellow-mortal whom he touched.

Life and Character of Zebielon Baird Vance. 153

Address of Mr. Bunn,

Mr. Speaker: In that sweetest and tenderest, most sub-
lime, and most beautiful love tragedy that was ever writ-
ten— the thrilling, the heart-moving, the soul-electrifying
play of Romeo and Juliet — IMercutio, the wit of that play,
is made to say, when he had received a fatal wound in
his breast by the hand of Tybalt, '"Tis not so deep as a
well, nor so wide as a church door; but 'tis enough, 'twill
serve. ' '

And so the wound of bereavement which has been made
in the hearts of his countrymen by that cruel dagger,
Death, which removed from time to immortality the spirit
of the lamented Vance, is deeper than the soundless
depths of old Ocean and broader than the whole Christian
Church, and it will remain there until the last ripple in
the river of Time has been mingled with the waves in the
ocean of Eternity.

And now, Mr. Speaker, in coming to pay my humble
but sincere and heart-nursed tribute to transcendent worth
and e.xalted greatness and loftiest excellence, I feel the pov-
erty of human expression and the weakness of strongest
language, for words, however expressive and graphic, are
at best but poorest vehicles for the transmission of those
feelings, when the heart is swept by the rushing billows of
grief that sweep o' er the ocean of an overwhelming bereave-
ment. And so, my tongue is in the coffin of Vance, and
I can only bow my head and weep o'er the memories of

154 Address of Air. Biiini of North Carolina.

him who is now sleeping where the myrtles grow and the
daisies peep.

But, Mr. Speaker, I must attempt a tribute to his worth
and express my grief at tlie loss which our country has
sustained in his untimely death. I say tmtimely, for he
went down in the hour of his greatest usefulness, when
his magnificently equipped mental forces were most ad-
mirably trained and drilled and disciplined and in fullest
and strongest vigor. But he went down like the blazing
meteor, more brilliant and dazzling and resplendent in its
downward coruscations than when in pristine glory and
unsullied radiance it first glistened . in the firmament with
planets; for our grandly panoplied Senator was ascending
into the zenith of his glory; his last service was the most
brilliant, his last speeches his greatest and his best, and
the}' will crown his career with a halo of renown that will
never lose the richness of its effulgence or the brilliancy
of its beaming.

Yes; he died when his mind was in the noontide of its
richest brilliancy and his power in the very summer of
its lustiest vigor. He passed away when his splendid abili-
ties were in neatest demand ami when his sage counsels
were most needed. And his loss is irreparable, for he was a
true patriot and a broad-gauged statesman, and being so
thoroughly versed in the affairs of government his saga-
ciovis coimsels and ripe experience were indeed most needed
in tliis trying ordeal of our political history. His deatli at
such a time did indeed produce a shock that was felt all
over the country, for while we all knew that he was in
feeble health and was perhaps nearing that glorious sunset
who.se gorgeous beauties are but the undimmed reflections

Life and Character of Zcbnloii Baird I'aiia'. 155

of celestial splendor, yet his death was so sudden that we
could scarcely realize that the brawny-brained statesman
had ended his last debate, and that listening Senators
would never more hang with rapt attention upon the
wholesome words that fell from his eloquent tongue. '

Senator Vance was perhaps the most many-sided and
admirably rounded public man of this century. He was
not only a man of magnificent ability and richest intellec-
tual resources, but he was a speaker of rarest eloquence
and the most thrilling and electrifying oratory. His stir-
ring appeals were as sweeping as the winds when forests
are rended and as resistless as the billows of the sea when
navies are stranded. He was, indeed, a grand, powerful,
intellectual giant, and on the stump the most admirably
fortified men of this age dreaded the sweep of his logic, the
vigor of his eloquence, the fiery outbursts of his dramatic
orator\-, and the witherino- fires of his burning invective.

In the fields of literar\- culture and classic research he
was indeed superb, for his speeches, while containing
golden nuggets of ripest wisdom, sparkled with gems of
richest humor and glistened with the auroral lights of the
finest poetic fancy. Thousands have been charmed and
enchanted with the richh- blooming flowers of his poetic
gardens and hrlled and soothed by the rhythmic flow
of his gracefully winding current of mellifluent rhetoric.
All of his speeches were forceful in their presentation of
truth and facts, noble in their ethical teachings of duty
to country, luscious with the mellowest fruitage of lofty
patriotism, opulent with the gems of successfully garnered
wisdom, kingly in the imperial sweep of their royal elo-
quence, and regal in the magnificent drapery of the most

156 Address of Mr. Biniii of Xor/Ii Carolina.

ornate diction. Tliey will prove monuments to the fame
of Senator \'ance more lastin,a: than marble, for on the
adamantine and invulnerable surface of their imperishable
worth, unequaled merit, superb splendor, and magnificent
beauty the corroding and devastating moth of decay will
never fix a fang.

And the people loved him because his big, generous,
sympathetic heart was always responsive to ever>- touch of
sorrow and distress, and ever ready to vibrate with tender-
est strains of solace and commiseration; and so when the
sad news of his death was sent on the quivering bosom of
the electric current throughout his native State it opened
the floodgates to the briniest waters in the stream of hu-
man bereavement, for all felt that one of North Carolina's
truest and noblest and grandest sons had been stricken
down like a flower in fullest bloom and beauty. And
those who followed that funeral train as it took him to his
last resting place in the mountains, and witnessed the spon-
taneous demonstrations of grief that gushed from the lo\-al
hearts of the old and the young, the high and the low,
the rich and the poor, must have realized that the depth
of love and fervor of devotion felt and shown for him was
never before manifested for any other man in tlie historx' of
my State.

And the people loved him, too, becatise he was true to
them. In season and out of season his voice was ever
ready to uphold their interests and defend their rights.
He was in touch with them, and they could alwa>-s hear
the beating of his great heart and listen to the music of
its throbbings and from its inspiring strains find solace for
the ills of the present and hope in the promises of the

Life and Characlcr of Zebiilon Baird I 'ancc. 157

future. And so he became their idol, and the}- followed
him most blindly. And he never deceived or misled
them, for his life was as an open book and its pages could
be read by all. And on those pages there were no blurs
or blots or blemishes; all pure and bright and stainless
and flawless.

He was the soul of honor, the very embodiment of hon-
esty. He had the courage of his convictions, and every-
body knew how and where he stood, for he was free and
bold in the expression of his views and opinions. And
yet, bold and aggressive as he was in political combat, his
heart was tender and sympathetic, and in all of his deal-
mgs with the weak and defenseless he was the \-er)' per-
sonification of womanly tenderness and forbearance; and
no one could surpass him in those gentle amenities which
give such a charm to manhood and such a glorious lio-ht to

true greatness

These are some of the virtues which emblazon his char-
acter and which will shine forever in that fadeless and
imperishable coronet that will crown the lustrous brow of
the illustrious Vaaxe.

But, alas! this stately oak, the very monarch in the
forest of humanity, with all of its widespreading and luxu-
riant branches of intellectual adornment, bathing in the
glad, warm sunlight of affectionate esteem and idolatrous
admiration, has been stricken down by the inevitable bolt
of death, and he now sleeps in the peaceful hush of the
quiet gra\-e. But men may stalk across the stage of exist-
ence and make reputation as bright and as radiant as the
blush of a dewdrop under the trembling kiss of a morning
sunbeam, but never will the brilliancy of his reputation be

158 Address of JSIr. Biiiin of North Carolina.

surpassed by mortal man, and never will his name hold a
second place on the tablet that recites the glories of intel-
lectual splendor; and though he has gone from us forever,
yet he has left behind him an example and an influence
and a memory that will prove a blessing to his country and
a benediction to his people, for their radiant light will blaze
for our guidance the glorious path of patriotic duty he so
nobly trod and encourage us to live like him who has
gone to his God.

Yes; he has left behind a radiant stream of effulgent
glory. Like the brilliant sun, which sinks behind the
distant hilltops and leaves behind a golden stream of gor-
geous splendors, making the whole western horizon seem
as if the most opulent dye pots in the studio of the angels
had been upset and had leaked through upon the clouds,
thus giving them the tintings of celestial glories, so his
sun of existence has sunk behind the hilltops of death and
left behind a stream of memories that will never fade from
the tablets of our hearts. Unlike the glories of the setting
sun, which soon lose their gorgeous colorings in the bosom
of darkness, his resplendent virtues will not lose their bril-
liancy in the shadows of death's dark night, for they were
dug from mines of richest and purest ore, and bright in
glory's jeweled throne the\' will shine for evermore.

On Fame's eternal camping ground

His silent tent is spread,
And glory guards with solemn idunil

The bivouac of our dead.

Life and Character of Zebulon Baird I'aiice. 159

ADDRESS OF Mr. Alexander

Mr. Spe.\ker: Comparatively few great men have had
such a checkered career as the late Senator Zebulon B.
Vance. I will give only so much of his history as will
show that during the changing conditions of societ\- he was
always the trusted leader of his people. He was born May
13, 1830, in Buncombe County, N. C. His early life was
uneventful, not differing from that of the friends of his
boyhood.

His educational advantages were not the best, but fairly
good. He was admitted to practice law in the county
courts in December, 1851, elected county solicitor for Bun-
combe County in May, 1852, and admitted to practice in
the superior courts in August, 1853. He was elected
to the house of commons of North Carolina in 1856, and to
the United States Congress in 1858, and reelected in i860.
During this period he was an ardent Whig, and devoted to
the Union. In 1861 he resigned his seat in Congress, and
volunteered in the service of North Carolina and the Con-
federate States to fight as a soldier, actuated b^■ the same
spirit that prompted his fellow-citizens to engage in the
war. They had to fight upon one side or the other, and
preferred to cast their lot with the Southern States. He
was elected captain of his company, and soon after was
elected colonel of the Twenty-sixth North Carolina Regi-
ment. He served with distinction in the battles of New-
bern, N. C, the seven days before Richmond, and Alalvern
Hill.

i6o Adc/ress of Mr. Alexander of Xortli Carolina.

In August, 1862, the people of North Carolina recalled
him from the tented field and placed him in the governor's
chair, and it was here that he exhibited that great execu-
tive ability that made him so well known through the Con-
federate States as the great war governor. His foresight in
buying the Advance, a ship that repeatedly ran the block-
ade at Wilmington, N. C, freighted with blankets, cloth-
ing, boots, and shoes for the North Carolina soldiers and
manv articles of necessity for the people of the State, ren-
dered him the idol of the soldier as well as the citizen at
home. Again, in August, 1864, he was elected governor,
and the closing days of the Confederacy further demon-
strated the greatness of his executive ability.

After the surrender of the Confederate armies, in May,
1865, he was arrested by the military forces of the United
States and brought to the city of Washington, D. C, and
imprisoned in the Old Capitol. Some time afterwards he
was released on parole and permitted to return to North
Carolina. He moved with his family to Charlotte, N. C,
and commenced the practice of law, and he proved him-
self to be one of the ablest advocates that bar has ever
had. The National Republican party, controlling the Na-
tional Government during the period of reconstruction,
disfranchised a sufficient number of white people to give
the newly organized Republican party, composed chiefly of
carpetbaggers and negroes, control of the State.

The white people, believing that their civilization was
threatened, combined under the name of the Conservative
Democratic party, and in 1870 they redeemed the State.
Though the late Senator V'ance was still disfranchised,
his wise counsel aided materiallv in .securing that great

Lift- and Character of Zebulon Baird [ 'ana: i6i

victory. The legislature, recognizing the valuable service
he had rendered, elected him to the United States Senate;
but his disabilities not having been removed bv Congress,
he was not permitted to take his seat. In 1872 he was de-
feated for the same office by the friends of ex-Senator Mer-
rimon combining with the Republicans. In 1876, after
the greatest political contest that has ever occurred in the
State, he was elected governor for the third time by a flat-
tering \-ote.

In 1S79 he was again elected to the United States Sen-
ate, reelected in 1885, and again in iSgr. His death oc-
curred in April, 1894. I think I but state the truth in say-
ing that at the time of his death he had a greater hold
upon the affections of tlie i^eople of Xorth Carolina than
at any time during his life. A leader of the Whigs or
Unionists, one of the great leaders of the Confederacy,
and after reconstruction a great leader of tlie Democracy,
as attested by his being reelected governor and four times
United States Senator, is a record that proves —

Act well your part, there all the honor lies.

In my opinion, the great secret of his success was his
intense earnestness and great ability in carrying out the
principles contended for. He never wavered or faltered in
a fight. He guarded the interests of the people so well
that their confidence in his integrity and honesty was
unbounded. The\- knew that he would never —

Crook the pregnant hinges of the knee
Where thrift may follow fawning.

Few public men were so fortunate as to have so few per-
sonal enemies. Kind, generous, and sympathetic, gifted

S .\Ils 151 [I

i62 Ad/drrss of Mr. Alexander of Xorlli Caro/iita.

with a rare fund of wit and humor, he gained the friend-
ship of nearly every one with whom he came in contact.
Having been in feeble health for man\' months, his death
was not unexpected. Yet his death came at a time when
his people most needed his wise counsel to pilot them
through the political trouble then distracting the State.
Others have told how the sad news of his death was re-
ceived by his people, and the great sorrow exhibited by
them as his colleagues carried his bier to the capital of his
State, and thence to Asheville, and placed it in a sepulcher
near his kindred and friends. North Carolina has lost her
brightest jewel, and her people have seen their "guide
star" struck from the political firmament.

Life and Characlcr of Zchulon Baird l^ancc. 163

ADDRESS OF Mr. Branch.

Mr. Speaker: During my four years of .service in the
House tlie occasions have been frequent in either hall of
Congress when solemn services like these have been held to
pay the last act of respectful dut}- to the memory of some
departed member. These occurrences can but warn lis of
the precarious tenure by which we hold to the fleeting-
things of time and teach the impressive lesson of instabil-
ity of human life. It is a happy thing for a country, Mr.
Speaker, when the lives of its public men can be thrown
freelv open to the world and challenge its closest scrutiny
with a consciousness upon the part of the friendly critic
that there is no blot to be concealed and no glaring fault
which a love of truth forbids him to deny and his own
sense of right scarcely allows him to palliate.

Of all public men I have known there are none whose
lives teach us more impressively the great moral of the
strength which public virtue gives than that of Zhbulon
Baird Vance. Here at least is a public man in whose life
there can be found no mean or equivocating action, none
of a departure from the self-imposed restraints of a lofty
sense of honor; none in which either the fear of man, the
seductions of amliition, or the allurements of pecuniary
advancement could tempt to a deed which would destroy
his own self-respect or the respect of others for him. He
knew how to inspire a people with a just confidence in
the soundness of his judgment and integrity of his pur-
po"e, so as to be looked to as a safe depository of trust and
confidence.

164 .liMress of Mr. Branch of Xorth Carolina.

His popularity was not the result of those factious aids
which give to demagogues and political tricksters an exist-
ence, but was the natural consequence of his exalted quali-
ties of both head and heart. Under such circumstances it
is not surprising that each step in the political career of
such a man should have been crowned with public honors.
Amid all the fluctuations of public sentiment, amid all the
changes of party, tried in times of war as well as peace, he
was found pursuing the path of dut>- by the light of princi-
ple, and dying, he has left behind him a life of consistency
and public virtue upon which the patriot may ponder with
pleasure, and from which the mere aspirant for worldly
honor may draw an instructive lesson.

His life is a true illustration that the line of duty is alike
the path of safet^■ and the way to honor. During a long
and eventful period a very large portion of his life was
spent in the public service; for near half a century he
devoted his energies and his talents to the performance of
public duties, always performing his trust with fidelity and
ability, and never failing to command the confidence, ad-
miration, and gratitude of an enlightened constituency.
How happy now the reflections of those who loved him
most that there is not an act of his public life which can
be referred to luit to his honor; not a suspicion that could
mar the purit\- and luster of his escutcheon. The remem-
I)iance of the life and work of sucli a man sliould always
be an inspiration to those who arc to assume the duties he
in his time so well performed.

Perha])s, Mr. .Speaker, one of the highest encomiums
ever pa.ssed on a man in jmblic life, said John Ouincy
Adams, is that of an liislorian, eminent for his profound

Life ami Cliarnctcr of Zchulou Baird l'a)ice. 165

acquaintance with mankind, wlio, in painting a great char-
acter by a single line, sa\'s: "He was just equal to all the
duties of the highest offices which he attained and never
above them." The possession of this rare political virtue
was preeminently exemplified throughout the career of
Zebulox B. Vance, who laid down his work without one
stain upon his record, leaving as a priceless heritage to his
family and his countr\' a name s\nonyinous with honesty
and incorruptibility.

It is a privilege and a sad pleasure, Mr. Speaker, to lay
garlands upon the tomb of the honored dead in whose
memor\- these ceremonies are held to-day. I shall not
attempt to give a review or sketch of his eventful life,
nor recite the many important incidents that mark his
long, distinguished public career. Colleagues of mine who
have preceded me have with admirable precision of detail
and in eloquent, graceful terms of unexaggerated eulogy
spoken of Zebulon B. \'.\n'CE, who has left upon the his-
toric annals of his State and country lasting aiid imperish-
able evidences of his statesmanship and patriotism.

He was a brave, generous, magnanimous man; every
pulsation of his warm, unselfish heart was kindness and
love for his fellow-man. The good of his State, the glory
of her people, the honor and welfare of his country was
the polar star ever guiding him. His thoughts were of
his State and her people. He saw her wide-extending
fields of cotton and grain, her mines, her quarries, her
factories, the hum of her wheels of industry, the songs of
her workingmen — these were his thoughts. He knew the
privations, the trials, the struggles of his people. To make
the burden ligliter, their hearts happier, were thoughts

i66 Address of Mr. Branch of Xorl/i Carolina.

that concerned him most, and while, Mr. Speaker, tlie
addresses on this occasion can add nothing to the future
happiness of the dead, can not augment the fame which
his social virtues and his public career have earned, they
tell the world that a republic can be grateful to those who
have done her service, and that the citizens of a republic
can appreciate the gentle qualities which give dignity and
honor to a statesman's life and insure peace and consola-
tion to a Christian's death.

A great man has fallen; it is fit we mourn him, indulg-
ing the hope that the light of his example may long
continue to illuminate the paths of the future representa-
tives of the State wliich honored and lo\ed him as the
swiftest in the race of ambition to serve her, the strongest
in the strife for her supremacy, a State which now holds
his remains and will ever cherish his memory.

Lifr aii'i Character of Zebuloii Baird I'aucc. 167

ADDRESS OF Mr. Bower of North Carolina.

Mr. Speaker: All tliat panegyric can be.stow has been
accorded to him whose distinguished life and melancholy
death we to-day commemorate. The tongue of the orator,
the pen of the historian, and, what would have been more
to the illustrioir^ dead, the love-inspired eloquence of his
immediate fellow-citizens, have proclaimed and recorded
his distinguished deeds and exalted station. In the pres-
ence of his stupendous merit common adulation blushes
into silence, and genuine appreciation would be mute.
Discarding fulsome flattery, it may truthfully be said of
him that he was the greatest of all North Carolinians. If
asked in what respect greatest, let each honest admirer
answer for himself according to what his own ideal of true
greatness may be, for his greatness was full-measured and
man>--sided. If called upon to name the principal trait or
talent that gave him such distinction, his friends would be
widely apart in their views. On what rests his solid and
enduring fame?

The world has laughed and has been refreshed from the
fountain of his quaint and inimitable humor. His anec-
dotes and sallies of wit are quoted in almost every house-
hold in his native State. In every family there yet lives
some one to relate and recount his wonderful achievements
upon the hustings; how this opponent was foiled; how
that was overthrown 1)y the keen thrust of apt and witty
illustration. Perhaps he was best known as a humorist, '

i68 Acftircss of Mr. Bower of NortJi Carolina.

and yet I ina\' venture to suggest that his humor was
only an incident and an instrumentality to more substan-
tial qualities. As a ready and an agreeable debater he had
few equals and no superiors. He grappled with a conijDre-
hension broad and accurate the most abstruse political
questions of his day, and it may be said that he never
discussed such a question without at once elucidating
and simplifying it. Under his manipulation the intricate
questions of revenue and tariff legislation were brought
within easy scope of ordinary intelligence and understand-
ing. He never shot above the heads of his audience and
never below. Whether addressing a grave and dignified
Senate or speaking face to face with the sturdy yeomanry
of his State, whose arms had borne him so often to victory
and never to defeat, he was the same easy, forcible, and
convincing orator. He never discussed a question that he
did not thoroughly understand, and hence never failed to
be interesting and instructive.

His public life was preeminently eventful and successful.
Scarcely had he attained his majorit)' when he was clothed
with responsible judicial office. At the age of twenty-seven
he had the honor of a seat in this Hall, defeating a gentle-
man of great prominence in his State and changing the
political complexion of the district from which he hailed.
For a new and young member his standing in Congress
was highly creditable. This was just prior to the ci\il war,
and when that memorable struggle came on, though only
thirty years of age, the eyes of his people were turned to
him for guidance and leadership. U]) to the time when
his State seceded from the Ihiion he had been an ardent
Union man. but when the bond that united North Carolina

Life and Cliaraclcr of Zchtiloii Baird Vaitcr. 169

with other States had been severed he hesitated no longer,
but threw himself with all his sonl into the contest which
he had hoped to see averted, bnt which when inevitable
received his hearty and unfaltering support.

When the tocsin of war was sounded he was promptly
at the front, and as colonel of the Twenty-sixth Regiment
of North Carolina ^'olunteers, as gallant a troop as ever
marclied to battle, he gave promise of as much distinction
in arms as afterwards awaited him in the civic field. But
it was as the "war governor" of North Carolina that he
reached the acme in tlie esteem and affection of his people.
He was in every pulsation and fiber truly Southern, and
in the role of governor at this critical period he showed
forth to great advantage those splendid qualities of head
and heart that make the ruler immortal and command
the unalloyed pride and gratitude of the governed. Those
who lead in times of greatest gloom and trial are those
around whose memory cluster the most tender affections
of an apjjreciative people.

In the dark days of 1864 and 1865 he was the beacon
light of hope and consolation, and when the sun of the
Confederacy went out in the final eclipse he appeared as
the first and brightest star in the new and upper firma-
ment. It is not necessary to trace his career from the days
of reconstruction to the close of his life. It is written
upon ever}- imperishable page that records the history of
his State and nation. How he spurned tlie pelf of power
and the lust and greed of office, " choosing rather to suffer
affliction" with his people "than to enjoy the pleasures
of sin for a season," how he drank the dregs of polit-
ical humiliation and again tasted the sweets of political

170 .4i/i/ri'ss of Mr. Boivcr of North Carolina.

redemption, "these things are known and read of all " his
countrymen.

In the magnificent structure of his life and character a
few of the salient features may be noted. And first and
most prominent was the inborn rugged honesty that char-
acterized his life from its beginning to its close. And
when I speak of honest)- I do not mean it in its narrow,
restricted sense of meeting one's pecuniary obligations,
though in this sense it may be remarked he lived an
honest man and died a poor one. But I use the term in
its broader acceptance, in\-o!ving perfect candor and fair-
ness in all his personal and political relations and dealings
with his fellow-man. As a representative he never de-
ceived nor attempted to deceive his constituency. How-
ever embarrassing the strait or pressing the emergency, he
"hewed to the line." He was no trimmer. He pursued
no devious ways, but sought his object with courageous rec-
titude in a straightforward, manly way. And yet, while he
did not court, he did not spurn public sentiment.

The secret of his great political strength and success
was the grace with wliicli he responded to a popular
demand when no inconsistency or sacrifice of principle
was involved. Another element in his composition was
his intense patriotism and ardent love for the people of
his State. He loved North Carolina with the fervor of a
first love. Her tall mountains and 1)eetling crags, her
deep ravines and unlulating valleys, her green fields, her
babbling brooks, her bounding rivers caught the enrap-
tured fancy of his youth and held with unbroken charm
the ripe and mellowed heart of the man. To him no
atmosphere so rare and bracing, no landscape so witching.

Life and Character of Zebu Ion Baird I'aucc. 171

no sk)- so blue as hers. No wonder the tired and wasted
body in the throes of its impending dissohition should
liave sought the scenes of its early association and imbibed
fresh vigor and renewed hope in e\-ery breath wafted from
the misty mountain tops of his birthland.

His solicitude for the welfare of his people knew not
limitation or cessation. In every crucial period in his life
he had taken them into his innermost sympathy and con-
fidence. In the antebellum days of his budding greatness,
at the twilight, and again at the midnight, of war's dread
carnival, in the succeeding period of material depression
and gloom, in victory and defeat, in sunshine and in
storm, he was ever of them and with them. Through all
the vicissitudes incident to a most eventful and thrilling
public life he maintained his hold upon the popular heart
as only a true patriot and matchless commoner could have
done. As the solemn tidings of his death swept over the
State every true North Carolinian felt as if a star of the
first magnitude had suddenly been blotted from the heav-
ens and the State had somehow grown commonplace and
dull. He has gone from our sight forever, and we shall not
see his like again.

x-2 Address oj Mr. IVoodard of Xorth Carolina.

Address of Mr. Woodard.

Mr. Speaker: When Senator \'axce died North Caro-
lina lost its foremost citizen. He will go down in history
as the greatest man the State has ever produced. The peo-
ple gave him their highest honors. He was a member of
the legislature four years; a member of this body, elected
at the age of twenty-eight; elected governor at the age of
thirtv-two; again elected governor at the age of thirty-
four; elected United Senator in 1872, but refused admis-
sion by the Republican Senate; elected governor in 1876;
elected to the Senate in 1878, and a member of that body
until his death. This is a brief summary of his public
life. In these positions there is a record of over thirt>-five
years of continuous, faithful, and unselfish public service,
and no man has ever lived in North Carolina who ever
merited or received such love and confidence from the
people. He was incomparably the most popular North
Carolinian who e\er lived.

His commanding intellectual force and versatile genius
would have won preeminence anywhere, but the true basis
of his success and the secret of his marvelous popularity
was to be found in the rugged honesty, the fearless frank-
ness, the genial humor, and the sincere desire to promote
the welfare of the people which characterized him.

vSenator Vance was a man of varied gifts. Elected to
Congress when only twenty-eight >ears of age, he was soon
recognized as one of the ablest and most brilliant men in
that bodv. It was at this period of his life that Hon.

Life and Cliai-acler of Zebuloii Baird I'aiice. 173

Georo^e E. Badger, then the ablest man in North Carolina,
a United vStates Senator for man}- years, said to a friend, in
speaking of the exciting canvass of i860, "Yon should
hear Vance, the young Congressman from the mountain
district. There never lived such a stump speaker as he. "
When Lincoln issued his call for troops Senator Vance
"enlisted as a private soldier in the Confederate ami}- and at
once went to the field. The people of his mountain dis-
trict desired to elect him to the Confederate Congress, but
he declined in the following letter to a friend:

Headquarters Twenty-sixth Regiment, N. C. Troops,

Camp Bitrgioyn^ mar Aloreheaii City^ September iS.

Dear Sir: Your letter of the 2d instant, addressed to my brother, was for-
warded by him and received this day. In it you ask, first, if I will be a candi-
date for Congress, and, second, if not a candidate, will I consent for my name
to be run? To both questions I answer in the negative. To this course I am
impelled by what I consider the most conclusive of reasons.

Vou remember well the position I occupied upon the great question which so
lately divided the people of the .South. Ardently devoted to the old Union and
the forms which the Federal fathers established, I clung to it so long as I thought
there was a shadow of a hope of preserving, purifying, or reconstructing it. And
you will also remember that in the last official communication I had the honor to
make to my constituents as their Representative I pledged myself in case all our
efforts for peace and justice at the hands of the North should fail that their cause
was mine, their destiny was my destiny, and that all I had and was should be
spent in their service. Those hopes did fail, as you know, signally and mis-
erably fail ; civil war was thrust upon the country and the strong arm of Northern
despotism was stretched out to crush and subdue the Southern people. I imme-
diately volunteered for their defense, in obedience not only to this promise, but
also, as I trust, to patriotic instincts; and I should hold this promise but poorly ful-
filled should I now, after having acquired sufficient knowledge of military affairs
to begin to be useful to my country, escape its obligations by seeking or even accep-
ting a civil appointment.

Certainly if there lives a man in North Carolina who ought to do all and suffer
all for his country, I am that man. Since the time of my entering upon man's
estate the people have heaped promotion and honors, all undeserved, upon my
head. In everything I have sought, their generous conlidence, their unfailing
kindness have sustained me. Whilst I can never sufficiently repay it, I am
determined, God helping me, to show them I was not altogether unworthy of
their regard. I am therefore not a candidate for Congress, nor will I consent for

174 .Ic/drcss of Mr. ll'oodard of North Carolina.

my name to l)e run. I am perfectly satisfied to be represented again 1)V the
sound sense and sober judgment of the gentleman who has so lately represented
us at Richmond, or by a do^en gentlemen who live in our di.-.trict not connected
with the army, some of whom I hope the common perd and the common cause
will mduce our people to elect without bickering and strife.

I can not close this hasty letter without assuring you that I am not insensible
to the compliment conveyed by your own and a hundred other similar interroga-
tions which have reached me from different parts of the district. No man can
feel prouder or more grateful at such manifestations. Surelv God has never
blessed a man with more sterling and devoted friends than I can number in thi
mountain district! May my name perish from the memorv of my wife and
children when I cease to remember these friends with gratitude. Among the
many who have adhereil so faithfully to m\- poor fortune, through good and
through evil report, I am always proud to remember you. unfalterin<;ly and
unmistakably.

Please to accept, in conclusion, every assurance of my regard and good wishes
for you and yours.

Most truly yours, /. \\_ Vance.

N. C;. Allman, Esq., fninklhi. .K. C.

He was elected captain of his compaiu- and soon there-
after colonel of his reginient, and his service in the arniv
was characterized by signal bravery and faithfnl devotion
to the welfare of his troops. While in this service the
eyes of the people of the State tnrned to him as the best
man tliey could select for j;overnor dnrinu- this trying'
period in the State's history, .\fter carefnl deliberation
he accepted the nomination, and addressed the following-
letter to his life-long friend, Mr. E. J. Hale, the able editor
of the then leading paper of the State, the Favetteville
Observer :

Hlj\l)l,irAKlKKS TWKNTY-SI.X 1 II Kl(^IMKN[, N. C TKiiiU's,

Kinslon, June jb, iSOj.

Editiirs iw TIIK OliSr.KVI-.R : .\ number of primary meetings of the people and
a respectable i)ortion of the newspapers of the State having put forward ni\ name
for the office of governor, to which I may also add the reception of iiumerous
letters to the same purport, I deem it proper that T should make some response to
these flattering indications of confidence and regard.

Helieving that the only hope of the South depended upon the prosecution of the
war al all hazards and to the utmost extremity so long as the foot of an invader

Life and Cliaractcr of Zrbitlou Bni'rd I'aiicc. 175

pressed .Soiilhern soil, I took the field at an early day, with the determination to
remain there until oiir independence was achieved. My convictions in this
regard remain unchanged. In accordance therewith I have steadily and sincerely
declined all promotion save that which placed me at the head of the gallant men
whom I now command. A true man should, however, be willing to serve wher-
ever the public voice may assign him. If, therefore, my fellow-citizens believe
that I could serve the great cause better as governor than I am now doing, and
should see ]iroper to confer this great responsibility upon me, without solicitation
on my part, I should not feel at liberty to decline it. hnwever conscious of my
own unworthiness.

In thus franklv avowing my willingness to labor in any position which may
be thought best for the public good, I do not wish to be considered guilty of the
affectation of indifference to the great honor which my fellow-citizens thus pro-
pose to bestow upon me. On the contrary, I should consider it the crowning
glory of my life to be placetl in a position where I could most advance the inter-
ests and honor of North Carolina, and, if necessar}-, lead her gallant sons against
her foes. But I shall be content with the people's will. Let them speak.

Sincerely deprecating the growing tendency tow'ard partv strife amongst our
people, which every patriot should shun in the presence of the common danger,
I earnestly pray for that unity of sentiment and fraternity of feeling w hich alone,
with the favor of God, can enable us to prosecute this war for liberty and inde-
pendence, against all odds and under every adversity, lo a glorious and trium-
phant issue.

Very sincerely, yours, Z. B. V.iNCE.

He was elected governor in 1862, and dnrini^ tlie .stormy
period of these years he exhibited the highest executive
ability in the discharge of the exacting duties of his posi-
tion. He exalted personal liberty and its safegnard. He
equipped and sent to the Confederacy more men according
to population than were furnished by any other Southern
State. North Carolina soldiers were better clad, the peo-
ple at home had more comforts of life, all due to his wise
forethought in the exports of cotton to Europe and pur-
chase of supplies in the European markets. So conspicu-
ous were his services during these years that he became
known throughout the South as the great war governor.
He frequently visited the soldiers in their camp and was
alwa^■s a welcome and honored guest. A member of his

1/6 Address of Mr. W'oodard of Nortli CaroIi)ia.

staff lias written a most graphic account of the \-isit of ■
Governor Van'CE to the Army of Nortliern \'irginia. Says
tliis gentleman:

Among the most pleasant incidents of my service as a member of the governor's
staff was a visit which I made with him to the Army of Northern Virginia in the
winter of 1S03.

He was then a candidate for reelection to the gubernatorial chair, having filled
it for one term with great eclat, Init being opposed by a certain faction at home,
which proclaimed itself for "peace and reconstruction" on any terms. This
appeal, it was feared, had produced some impression upon the minds of the sol-
diers in the field, and thougli the ostensible object of the visit w'as the advance-
ment of his political interests, its real purpose was to rekindle the fires of
patriotism in tlie hearts of the North Carolina troops, and to cheer and stimulate
the entire army. I liad supposed that I knew him thoroughly and appreciated
him full)', but 1 liacl no conception of his gifts as an orator and of the potency of
his personal magnetism until this memorable occasion.

Inspired alike h\ the peculiar surroundings antl the importance of his niission,
he transcended himself and produced an impression upon the army, from its
great captain to its humblest private, which displayed itself in the wildest enthu-
siasm for the cause and the most intense idolatrv for its eloquent advocate.

That he should have been thus inspired is not surprising, for the circumstances
which surrounded him would have stirred the heart of any man.

General Lee ordered a general review in his special honor — an incident, I
believe, without parallel in the history of the army.

Upon an immense plain, in the immediate neighljorhood of Orange Court
House, there were assembled the troops which composed the then unconquered
Army of Northern Virginia. These were clad in rags, but wreathed with vic-
tory; their flags were soiled and tattered, but upon them were inscribed the
immortal names of Cold Harbor, Manassas, and South Mountain; tlieir arms
were battered and blackened, but tlieir fire startled the nations and reverberated
around the world; their bands were decimated and out of tune, but tliey still
discoursed the inspiring strains of "Dixie,"' "The bonny bhie Mag," and "The
girl I left hehind me." And thougli many a gallant leader was absent because
"off duty" forever, Jackson, Longstreet, Stuart, Early, Ewell, Hill, Rhodes,
Gordon, Hampton, Peltigrew, and l'"itzhugh Lee were there to do honor to Caro-
lina's illustrious son.

Arrayed in two confronting lines, and with theii' bronzed faces beaming with
pleasure and e.Npectancy, the nol)le veterans awaited the coming of the old chief-
tains whom they had followed in triumph so long, and of the youthful governor
whose devotion to the cause and lender care of his own troops had already
made him the idol of them all. Finally the cannon boomed and General I.ee
and Governor Van'CK appeared, and, amid a storm of enthusiastic cheers and
an avalanche of friendly greetings, rode slowly along the excited lines.

Life and Character of Zebiilon Baird I 'a inc. \-j-j

It was a stirring scene, and as I rode xvitli this distinguished company and
gazed into the battered but radiant faces around me and listened to the grand
"Confederate yell" which met their great commander and his honored gu^est, I
felt that it was indeed an occasion to be remembered, and realized that I stood
m tlie presence of heroes and conquerors— of the men who had made history,
and even from their enemies the reputation of being " the bravest soldiers who
ever marched to the music of battle."

So soon as the review -if that military love feast can be so designated— was
ended the men and officers came crowding around the elevated platform which
had been prepared for the orator and for two hours gave him their most earnest
attention.

The day was truly a proud one for North Carolina and for her gifted son, and
a more appropriate, effective, and eloquent address was never uttered by human
lips. Under the influence of his rich and varied imagery, his happy and grapliic
illustrations, his masterly grasp and inner meaning, trenchant thrusts and touch-
mg allusions, his stirring appeals and deep pathos, and, in a word, his magnifi-
cent and resistless eloquence, the audience was stirred, enraptured, enthused
and earned away as if by the spell of a magician. Not a man who heard the
impassioned outburst of patriotic inspiration would have hesitated to die for his
country; and I am convinced that in many an hour of supreme peril afterwards
It rang like trumpet tones through the souls of those who heard it, inspiring
them to a higher courage, a nobler effort, a purer patriotism, and a more heroic
martyrdom for the cause which they loved so well. If aught of lukewarmness
or despondency had been produced by the machinations of a selfish faction at
home, they vanished as the morning mist before the rising sun under the spell of
this good man's matchless elociuence. I heard General I.ee remark that Gov-
ernor V.^.N-CE's visit to the army had been equivalent to Its reenforcement by
50,000 men; and it sowed the seed of a friendship between those two true-
hearted patriots which fructified even amid the dark days preceding the surren-
der, and grew and strengthened long after the land which they loved so well had
drained the cup of sorrow to the dregs.

It was then that he made classic the term " Tarheel," which others had
hitherto applied m derision to the North Carolina soldiers, by addressing them as
■•fellow-Tarheels" and demonstrating that the sobriquet was but a synonym of
that tenacious courage which made them stick to their post in the hour of dan.-er
upon so many hard-fought fields to their own imperishable honor and to The
eternal glory of the mother State, and even afterwards, during the war and up to
the present moment, the most subtle compliment which can be paid to a North
Carolinian who followed the banner of the Conlederacy in all of Its vicissitudes
of fortune un-il it was furled forever at Appomattox Is to call him by that homely
but blood-liaptized appellation of "Tarheel."

^ It was of this speech that Gen. J. E. B. Stuart said that
"if the test of eloquence is its effect, this speech was the

S Mis 151 12

1 78 Address of Mr. JJ^oodard of North Carolina.

most eloquent ever delivered." At the close of the vi'ar
he was arrested and imprisoned here in the Old Capitol
Prison. He was soon released, returned to his home, and
engaged in the practice of his profession. He was a well-
equipped and successful lawyer. He often told with keen
enjoyment of the compliment paid him when a young law-
yer attending the court of his mountain district. Many of
the ablest lawyers in the State lived in this district.

Several of the mountaineers were on the court green
discussing the merits of the lawyers who were in attend-
ance upon the court. At the close of the discussion one
of them .said: "Well, if that young man, Zeb Vance,
ever gets h\ the judge I would rather have him than any
of those old lawyers." While not a high compliment to
his legal ability at the time, yet it was a marked tribute
to his power before the people; but it was not long before
he could "get by the judge, " for he soon became one of the
leading lawyers in the State.

One of the last speeches made by Senator Vance in the
Senate was a legal argument to sustain the position that
the governor of a State had no power to appoint a Sena-
tor to fill a vacanc\- caused b\- the failure of the legislature
to elect. This speech was an able and luminous constitu-
tional argument, and, though the views sustained by him
were not at that time entertained by a majorit\' of the
Committee on Privileges and Elections or of the Senate,
his argument convinced a majority of that bod\ that his
was the correct view of the question. The distinguished
gentleman who now presides over the Senate with so
much ability, in speaking of Senator V.VN'CE, said to me
that this speech was the ablest presentation of the ques-
tion made bv an\- S^-nator, although man\' of the ablest

Life and Character of Zebu/on Baird J'aiice. 179

lawyers of that body engaged in the discussion. No higher
compliment conld be paid to his ability as a lawyer. He
was a great political leader. The people of his State
gladly gave him every position of honor in their gift. I
doubt, Mr. Speaker, if there ever lived a man in our cotm-
try who had the infltience and power in his State that was
accorded Senator Vance. He had their love and confi-
dence. In almost every home in North Carolina, whether
it be a cabin, in the mountain cave, or the brick mansion of
the city, upon its walls the genial and kindly countenance
of Senator Vance looks down upon you. Hundreds of
children of the State bear his name. The people confided
in his wisdom, reverenced his integrity, and loved him for
his own sake.

One has well said:

His wise sayings, his sparkling witticisms, his charming humor, were the
guide, the liglit, and cheer of every hearthstone in the State. His kindly nature,
his true manliness, his peerless intellect, his clear judgment, made him the wel-
come, honored guest of the cottage of the poor and the mansion of the rich.
The Jewish theocracy guarded the law with such jealousy that he who but laid
his hand upon the ark was stricken with death. With that same care he stood
ke.'bre our constitution in times of peril, when elsewhere the law was silent amid
the clash of arms. Did he ever fail in his devotion to North Carolina? Had he
an enemy who was not also her enemy ?

As a campaign speaker he was unequaled, and I doubt if
in the last quarter of a century there was a public speaker
in this country who was so eifective on the stump. He was
a great orator. His wit, his eloquence, his logic, charmed
his audiences, and no one who came to hear him ever grew
wearied. He was a masterful humorist. He had superior
literar}- tastes. His lectures and literary addresses are all
models of a clear, chaste, and vigorous style, oftentimes elo-
quent, and always evidencing thorough acqtiaintance with
the best literarv thought of the dav. It will be fortunate

i8o Additss of Ml-. W'oodard of Xortli Carolina.

if the lectures and addresses he delivered on \-arioMs sub-
jects and his speeches in the Senate can be preserved in
some permanent form. The volume containing them
would be a most valuable contribution to the literature of
our country.

But, ^Ir. Speaker, the work which has entitled Senator
\'an'CE to a most conspicuous position among the great
men of the countrx' is his labors in the United States
Senate. Coming to that bod}' preceded by a reputation as
a statesman of ability, he was soon recognized as one of its
ablest members and was assigned to membership on the
leading committees of that body. Recognizing at that
time that in the near future the great questions which
would confront Congress for settlement would be the
proper adjustment of the tariff taxation and a just settle-
ment of the financial question, he began the thorough
study of these questions, and it has been well said bv his
associates in that body that no Senator discussed them
with mure power and ability than did Senator Vanck.
When the McKinley bill was pending in the Senate Sena-
tor Vance, as a member of the Finance Committee, was
the recognized leader of his party, and the burden of the
debate of that bill fell largely upon him. The student of
the difficult and complex question of the tariff can find in
the literature of that subject no more vahtable material for
its mastery than the speeches of Senator \'ance, and upon
most of the important questions coming before that body
he spoke and alwa\s with singular force and abilit}-. As
Senator Gray has so well said:

His et|uipmciil as an orator was strong and unique. There are few of us who
can not recall the ileli^jht occasioned hy the display of his wit, and how story,
epiijrani, and apt illustration lii;htL-d up many a tedious discussion, his clearness

Life and Character of Zcbiilon Baird I'ance. i8i

of mental vision making many a crooked path straight. No debate was ever dull
in which he was engaged, and no one cared to leave this Chamber when Vance
was on the floor.

Senator Vance gave much thought and study to the
financial question and was a strong advocate of the resto-
ration of silver to the position it occupied prior to 1S73,
believing that the free coinage of silver would promote the
best interests of the people of the whole country.

The last speech he made in the Senate was in opposition
to the unconditional repeal of the Sherman law. I always
considered it a great privilege to have heard this speech,
by many considered one of the ablest ever de'i\-ered in the
Senate.

Fatal disease had already laid its hand upon him. His
stalwart frame had grown feeble and weak, his voice had
lost much of its peculiar charm and power. He was
speaking when I entered the Senate. Almost every Sen-
ator was in his seat, listening eagerly to the powerful ,
argument lie was making. He had not proceeded long
before all evidence of his feeble condition had seemingly
passed away, and feeling, as he no doubt did, that this
might be his last appeal for legislation believed bv him to
be vital for the best interests of his people, he husbanded
all his strength and for nearly two hours held the undivided
attention of the Senate. It was a great speech, enlivened
by the flashes of. his wit and humor, his argument sus-
tained by his powerful logic. It deserves to rank among
the ablest delivered by any Senator during that memorable
debate.

At the close of the e.xtra session he went to Black
Mountain, hoping to regain his health in the bracing and
health-o'lving; air of his beautiful mountain home.

i82 Address of Mr. Woodard of Xorth Carolina.

He returned at the regular session, but it was apparent
to his friends that his career was ended. At his home
in this city he was confined for many weeks. I saw him
often. He was the same genial, kindly man. An hour
spent with him was always a pleasant memory.

He was buried in the beautiful cemetery at Asheville, at
the foot of the mountains he loved so well. Others have
spoken of the deep grief manifested b}- all classes of our
people, and of the honors paid his memory. In ever}'
town in the St£.te services were held, addresses made, and
resolutions adopted expressive of the sorrow of our people
and of their appreciation of his character and services. He
sleeps well, awaiting the resurrection morn.

Life and Character of Zebulon Baird I 'ance. 183

Address of Mr. Crawford.

Mr. vSpeaker: We pause to-day to pay a tribute of respect
to the memory of the late Senator Vance — to drop a tear,
as it were, on his grave. Eulogy, at this time and place,
can but imperfectly outline the character and public serv-
ice of the dead patriot and statesman. It must be left to
the historian to review and analyze the great life work
of the peerless and incomparable V.'VNCE and give him his
true place in his country's history.

Zebulon Baird Vance was born in Buncombe County,
N. C, May 13, 1S30, in the district which I have the honor
to represent. He was not surrounded by the lu.Kuries of
wealth, but the ordinary comforts of life, and it may be
said that his greatest heritage was a poverty that gave him
an opportunity to build his own fortune — and he built as
a master builder. Nature endowed him with a double por-
tion of the essential elements of true greatness and cast his
lot among the beautiful and picturesque Alleghanies, in the
very heart of the "Land of the Sky," in the shadow, as
it were, of Mount Mitchell, Pisgah, and a score of other
peaks whose summits pierce the clouds 6,000 feet above
the sea. That portion of North Carolina was then compar-
ati\ely an isolated spot, where the busy ways of trade had
not been learned, and where the tireless march of progres."
had scarcely tread —

.\ solitude
Of vast extent, untouched by hand of art,
Where Nature sowed herself
And reap'd her crops.

1 84 Address of Mr. Crawford of XortJi Carolina.

To him these mountains were an inspiration; upon their
grandeur his soul feasted, and his young life was filled with
a love and admiration for the beautiful and sublime in na-
ture. The fountain of his aspiration was fed by nature her-
self, and fro'.n her open book he learned his most valuable
lessons. The breeze that winged its way from mountain
cavern, the sunbeam that frolicked with the leaf\' forest,
the flower that smiled upon the grassy dell, the brook that
lisped its never-ending song, all had a message for him,
and in them and beyond them all he saw and realized the
power, the wisdom, and the goodne.ss of God.

The intellectual faculties of young \'anx'E were aided by
an indomitable will power, and he seized every opportunity
within his grasp for acquiring an education. After attend-
ing the best schools of the community he took a course at
Washington College, Tennessee, and subsequently a select
course, including law, at the University of North Carolina.
He located in Asheville to practice his profession, and at
the age of twenty-two he was prosecuting attorney of Bun-
combe County; at twenty-four he was a member of the
legislature, and at twenty-eight he was elected to Congress
to fill the unexpired term of Thomas L. Clingman, who
had been appointed to the Senate. The district had been
largely Democratic, and the part\' had for a candidate a
strong exponent in W. W. Avery. But, contrary to all ex-
pectation, the Whigs carried it, electing Vance by a hand-
some majority — the youngest man North Carolina ever sent
to Congress. He was again elected in iS6o over Col. David
Coleman.

His term in the House was brief, but he made for him-
self a national reputation, and by his faithful and efficient

Lijc and Cliaractcr of Zchitlon Baird I 'ainc. 185

services he endeared himself more than ever to the people
of his State. He was a strong Union man and opposed
secession with all the ardor of his \-igorous nature, but
surrendered his judgment to the wisdom of his so\ereign
State when she withdrew from the Union. He resip-ned
his seat in Congress, came home, organized a compan}-,
and went to the seat of war. In a few months he was
made colonel of the Twenty-sixth North Carolina, and
participated m the "seven days' fight" around Richmond.
In 1862, while in the field, he was elected governor over
Col. William Johnson.

His administration was more aggressive than that of any
other governor of the seceded States, and he was known as
the "war governor of the South." Under his administra-
tion North Carolina mustered and sent to the war more
men than any other State of the Confederacy — more than
one-sixth of the whole number enlisted. He was quick to
realize that the State could not equip and maintain her
soldiers in the field without the aid of foreign commerce;'
therefore he purchased a splendid steamer in the Clyde,
and successfully ran the blockade, exchanging cotton for
arms, ammunition, and clothing for the soldiers and .salt
and other domestic articles for the people at home.

The popularity of Governor V.A.NCE was unbounded.
His wise policy and successful administration met the ap-
proval of the people generally, and in 1S64 he was again
elected by a large majority over W. W. Holden.

Mr. Speaker, fate had decreed against the dissolution of
the Union, the resources of the South were finally exhausted,
and the Confederacy collapsed. The leading oflScials were
arrested and imprisoned. Governor Vance was brought

i86 Addfcss of Mr. Crazcford of Xortli Carolina.

to this city and confined in the Old Capitol, but after a few
months was released. He returned home, located in Char-
lotte, and resumed the practice of law. But never for a
moment did he lose sight of the political situation. Dur-
ing the dark days of reconstruction no man did so much
to make the harsh and unwise policy of the Federal Admin-
istration odious as Zebulon B. Vance. While others
hesitated and faltered, he struck straight from the shoulder
with his keen Damascus blade, and never failed to leave
a gaping wound. He hurled his thunderbolts against the
carpetbag regime with the precision of Jove.

I believe that when the historian comes to review the
long and illustrious services of Senator V.A.NCE to his
State it will be recorded that the period of reconstruction
furnished the brightest star in his crown of fame. That
period when the South was in a formative state, passing
from the old to the new order of things; when local self-
government was overthrown, and the people were under
the iron heel of oppression; when his beloved State had
been stricken by the devastating hand of war, and carrion
vultures were flocking to feed upon its emaciated form;
then it was he rose with the strength of )'oung Hercules,
and from one end of the State to the other lie attacked
these hordes of despoilers with a boldness and power that
were irresistible, and rallied the patriotic and conserva-
tive people to his support and overturned their rule of riot
and ruin. Wise and wholesome laws were enacted, the
right of local self-government was restored to the bona
fide citizens, and no vState in the Union with like advan-
tages has made greater progress, and no people have been
more wisely, honestly, and economicalK- go\erned than the

Life a)id Character of Zebu I on Baird Vance. 187

people of North Carolina. These results are largeh- at-
tributable to Senator Vance, for he was in close touch
with the masses and had great influence in molding public
sentiment and in shaping political policies. He was the
idol of the people, and they trusted him with implicit con-
fidence and loved him as they loved no other man. They
delighted to honor him and bestowed upon him their
choicest gifts.

Mr. Speaker, the issues of the war brought about a
political revolution and made friends of former antago-
nists. Upon these issues the Whig party went to pieces
and Senator Vance became a Democrat and opposed the
Republican party with greater zeal than he had opposed
the Democratic party when he was a Whig. He was as
true to the principles of Democracy- as the needle to the
pole, and at the hands of the Democratic party received
his greatest honors. He was elected to the United States
Senate in 1870, but was not allowed to take his seat on
account of political disabilities incurred during the war.

In 1876 he was nominated for governor, and the Repub-
licans nominated Judge Settle, their best and ablest man.
Their joint campaign was the most memorable in the his-
tory- of the State, and is fresh in the minds of all who
heard it. It was a battle of the giants — Greek meeting
Greek. They were both in the prime of life, and both
were splendid specimens of physical manhood. The dis-
cussion was masterly and on a high plane. Zeb Vance,
as he was familiarly called, was a household word, though
I had never seen him until the day of the speaking at
Waynesville. But few days of my life are as clearly pho-
tographed on my mind as that, and the scope of no debate

rSS Address of Mr. Crazvford of North Carolina.

is so well reineiiibcred. The people turned out en masse,
and the discussion took place in the grove at the Baptist
church, Vance leading off. I remember the first words he
uttered, and to the closing sentence he held me spellbound.
Never before had I heard such an outburst of wit, humor,
and eloquence. His great speech, combined with his fine
physique and stately bearing, made him at once mv ideal
statesman, and such he remained through life. The Dem-
ocrats carried the vState, electing Vaxce by a majority of
over 13,000.

After serving two years as governor, he was elected
to the vSenate, and took his seat March iS, 1879, and was
reelected in 1SS5, and again in 1S91. To undertake to
review his course in the Senate would be to give a resume
of the important legislation of that body since he became
a member. He entered the Senate at the age of fortv-
nine, with an experience of twenty-five years in public
affairs and a national reputation which put him at once in
the front rank of American Senators For a number of
}^ears he had been a leading member of the Finance Com-
mittee, and devoted most of his time to the tariff and finan-
cial questions, and had much to do with the legislation
along these lines. He led the fight of the minoritv against
the McKinley bill and demonstrated that he had tlior-
oughly mastered the subject in detail.

It was the ambition of his life to live to see the tariff
reformed in the interest of the people and silver restored to
its constitutional j)lace as a money metal of the country.
For these results he labored in season and out of season.
Often he met successfully in debate the champions of the
protective tariff and the gold standard. He had but few

Life and Character of Zebitlo)i Baird I 'ance. 1S9

equals and no superiors in debate. His nature was pugna-
cious and combative, but his sword was never drawn
except in defense of the people's rights, and when drawn
was never sheathed until the right prevailed. But he was
a generous, manly opponent, sincere and honest, and never
resorted to a temporizing expedient to gain advantage over
his antagonist.

Mr. Speaker, Senator \'.^NCE was a stirdent, and by too
close application his health was gradually undermined, and
before he was aware he was rapidly approaching the grave.
The last speech he made was on the ist of September, 1893,
against the unconditional repeal of the Sherman law.
With prophetic wisdom he predicted that there would be
no legislation favorable to silver if not had at the time the
Sherman law was repealed. This was one of the greatest
speeches of his life, and he spoke with his old-time vigor.
When he had concluded, I congratulated him, saying,
"Governor, vou seem to be yourself again," and he re-
plied, "By no means; lam thoroughh' exhausted." And
the great statesman and patriot stepped out of the Senate
and the doors closed behind him forever.

For some time he had realized that an insidious malady
was sapping his vitals, and with a hope of relief he sought
the sights and scenes of lands beyond the seas. Perhaps
the deep, heaving billow or the cheery whisper of the
wavelets ; perhaps the soft caress of ocean's briny breath —
perhaps these might lend a balm to heal him. He spent
several months in Europe, visiting famous health resorts,
but returned home without realizing his hopes. He re-
sumed his duties in the Senate, but soon it became nec-
essary for him again to abandon his work, and he retired,

I go Address of Mr. Craivford of North Carolina.

as he had often done, to the sweet seclnsion of his moun-
tain home in North Carolina, to enjoy tlie companionship
of tree and bird and brook, where he could lay his head
upon the bosom of the solitude and feel the refreshing
influence of nature's heart throbs. This seemed to give
him a new lease on life, and he returned to attend the
extra session of Congress, in the summer of 1893, with his
health apparently restored. But his laborious work as
chairman of the Committee on Privileges and Elections,
the long, tedious struggle over the rej^eal of the Sherman
law, and the worry and disappointment over offices for his
friends completely prostrated him.

Still hoping that the coveted panacea might be found,
he went to Florida; but alas! he grew worse, returned to
his home in Washington, and, after lingering a few weeks,
died on the night of the 14th of April, 1894. He could no
longer flee from death. The sands in the hourglass had
refused to flow; the gateway to another world was reached,
and life vanished like a rainbow on a summer's morning.
His was a painless death. The angel poised in contempla-
tive silence above the ebbing and flowing tide, and seeing
the weary waves roll heavily against the shore, reached
down and laid a gentle hand upon the flood — and he was
dead.
/— The climax of his life was heralded by a glorious sun-
set, while the night drew on as gently as the summer's
gloaming, and brightly gleamed the halo that crowned
his earthly career as he fell Death's captive on tlie thresh-
old of the night. "^Too soon it seemed the autumn of his
life drew swiftly on; too soon the hungry breath of ill-timed
winter sought to steal away the glories of his ripening years.

Life and Character of Zebulon Baird I 'ance. 191

and his spirit, like a swift-winged bird of passage, took its
flight to brighter and more genial climes. --

When the message was flashed along the electric wires,
"Senator Vance is dead," the heart of every North Caro-
linian was sad; for all realized that his death was not only
a great and irreparable loss to the State, bnt to each indi-
vidual a personal bereavement, for every man, rich and
poor alike, could say, "He was my friend."

The remains of the dead Senator were escorted to a last
resting place among his native mountains in North Caro-
lina, the dearest place to him in all the world. Among
these mountains he was born, among them he spent his
young manhood, to them he resorted for recuperation in
his failing years, and there he desired to sleep while the
ages roll on.

The body la)- in state in the capitol at Raleigh for sev-
eral hours, and hundreds came sorrowfully to take the last
earthlv view of their own loved Vance. The whole State
was as a stricken household. The stations between Ral-
eigh and Asheville were thronged with people, hoping that
they might have an opportunity once more to see the face
of their true friend and trusted leader. Asheville was
reached in the early morning of the iSth. The city was
draped in mourning, and a sorrowing multitude that came
from far and near stood about the streets waiting to pay
the last tribute of love and respect to him who was return-
inof home after the conflicts of life were ended. The air
was pleasant and the morning sun shone brighth', but soon
the skv drew a veil of somber clouds about its face, the
mountains grew dark and gloomy, and as we stooped with
tender hands and bleeding hearts to give him to the tomb,

^

192 .-if/drcss of Mr. Craze ford of North Carolina.

the \-ery elements seemed to see our grief and dropped
with us their tears.

He sleeps in beautiful Riverside, and the rolling French
Broad that soothed his childhood slumbers will ever sing
to his moldering ashes. Sleep on !

There is no death ! The stars go down

To rise upon some other shore ;
And bright in heaven's jeweled crown

They shine forevermore.

Mr. BuNN. I now ask, Mr. Speaker, that under the reso-
lution already adopted the House be declared adjourned as
a further mark of respect to the memory of the deceased.

And then, in accordance with the resolutions already
adopted, the Speaker pro tempore (at 5 o'clock and iS min-
utes p. m.) declared the House adjourned until Monday
at II o'clock a. m.

V

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